The Eagles were left frustrated once more on opening day after suffering a 2-0 defeat at the Hill Dickinson Stadium – but it was far from a one-sided affair.
Hitting the post twice, being denied by several impressive Jordan Pickford saves and dominating possession in the opening period, there was encouragement to be drawn for the rest of the season from Palace’s first-half display in particular.
And Richards saw enough, with a new Manager in Pierre Sage, new tactics to adapt to, and new teammates to bed in, from the game to reflect optimistically.
“I think it's a tough place to play, regardless of what stage of the season it is,” the United States international told Premier League Productions. “Especially in the first game of the season, you can't leave chances like that on the table.
“The first-half, we were really good in stages. Ultimately, they went into half-time with a 1-0 lead, but we hit the post a few times and had a few good chances. They carried on the momentum in the second-half and it was kind of an uphill battle from there.”
Highlighting the changes from last season, Richards added: “[There’s] just different tactics. I mean, obviously it's the same formation, but it’s just a different way of playing.
“It gave us a lot of confidence. I think in pre-season we saw a lot of different things, a lot of different looks, and we have a lot of different players coming in and out.
“I think today was a good test. Regardless of the result, I think it was a good line in the sand for us.”