Football FanCast columnist Alex Dimond looks ahead to his beloved Crystal Palace' semi-final clash against Bristol City and warned his fellow Eagles not to get complacent, as there is no such thing as a favourite when it comes to the Championship playoffs.

I can't imagine there are many events more dramatic than the last day of a Championship season. By my count on Sunday there were only two matches in which nothing was riding on the outcome - and more than a few that decided both promotion hopes and relegation fears. Throughout the whole afternoon, it seemed any goal in one the games involving Stoke, Ipswich, Wolves, Watford and Southampton would have completely changed the face of the league table - at both ends. They say you can't beat the drama of sport - Sunday was a perfect example why.

Fortunately, Crystal Palace avoided giving any of their elder fans a heart attack with a comfortable 5-0 win, against a Burnley side who had obviously already turned their attention to whereabouts on the Algarve they should holiday (for any Burnley players reading this - I recommend Vale de Lobo). Thanks to Clarke Carlisle's sending off (he obviously had an early flight) and Ben Watson's subsequent penalty, the match was effectively over as a contest after 7 minutes - but Victor Moses, Tom Soares, Scott Sinclair and Clinton Morrison all got on the score sheet to convincingly confirm our spot in the playoffs. Considering we where in dire trouble earlier in the season, you might expect this article to go on to extol the virtues of Neil Warnock - but I'll save that until our season is officially over. While we can still go up, he still has work to do - starting with our semi-final opponents Bristol City.

Upon gaining our place in the playoffs, I got many texts and comments from my mates suggesting that we are now favourites to go up. Lets get one thing straight, in the playoffs there are no favourites - we ourselves have proved that many a time. Bristol City's form might not have been the best in recent weeks (Sunday's victory was their first in 10 games I believe) but they will be well up for the tie with us - especially as yesterday's result was equally comprehensive (3-0 against Preston). Based on our league encounters, we have to be confident, having beaten them at home 2-0 and drawn at Ashton Gate 1-1, and even then they scored an incredibly late goal. On that basis, punters have every right to be confident of a Palace victory - but critics have been writing off Bristol City all season and they are still here fighting.

Equally, Eagles fans know full well the unpredictability of the playoffs. Last time we made the end of season lottery, we finished 3rd in the league only to be beaten 3-0 at home by a rampant Watford side. The time before that, we finished 6th in the league, beat Sunderland in the semis on penalties and then squeezed past West Ham in the final. We won't take anything for granted - we won't be underestimating Bristol City. That being said, 26 000 fans will pack out Selhurst Park on Saturday, cheering the team on (hopefully) to victory. This will be both a boost for the club's finances and the player's morale - I can only imagine the lift they will get when they run out on to the pitch. To use a footballing cliché, the crowd really could be Palace's 12th man.

But once kick-off comes it will be down to the players, and they will have to decide which they would prefer - to visit the Algarve in May, or Anfield in November? I know which I would choose. But then again, I do burn easily...