Palace finish with a flourish

The final day of a frustarting season saw Palace cruise to an easy win over possible play-off outsiders Colchester Utd and finish in the top half of the table.

Apart from a short spell before half time, Palace were the better side throughout this tame encounter. Colchester needed other results to go with them, as well as achieving a handsome win and despite racing out of the blocks, Jamie Cureton shooting just within 40 seconds of the start, they hardly ever looked like Play off material.

Palace enjoyed the majority of possession, but nothing in the way of concrete chances until the 11th minute when a lofted ball forward from Jobi MacAnuff found James Scowcroft who judged it perfectly to stoop and loop a header right over Col U ‘keeper Dean Gerken. A few minutes later, Carl Flecther stung the crossbar when he lashed a cross from the left bach goalwards. It was his last meaningful contribution as an apparaent hamstring pull, saw him subbed for Tom Soares shortly thereafter. Clinton Morrison went close shortly therafter, but the closing stages of the half saw Colchester on the attack, twice drawing good reaction stops from Julian Speroni from efforts by Chris Iwelumo and Cureton.

Despite again creating a chance right from the off, with a shot from James Duguid, Colchester failed to build on their revival and Palace took control again. Scowcroftmeeting Watson's free kick with a firm header which Gerken held then Morrison forced the keeper to tip over after connecting with Matt Lawrence's cross. Scowcroft again headed wide before McAnuff also went close with an hour gone, shooting wide from 12 yards.

Palace allowed Cureton a couple of chances on the break, but Speroni was having none of that with some imperious work. Finally Palace gained a deserved second, when Ben Watson was played in and skinned Wayne Brown before drilling a firm daisycutter under Gerken flailing body from 12 yards.

With game in the bag, Palace eased to the final whistle but Scowcroft was unlucky not to grab another, heading straight at Gerken with four minutes left on the clock.

So the season ends with a win and with Palace heading the Championship Fair Play table (not that it counts for very much) but 10 points off the play-offs, rueing the appalling autumn run which effectively put paid to any Play off hopes.

Crystal Palace Speroni, Lawrence, Hudson, Cort, Borrowdale,McAnuff, Watson, Fletcher (Soares 30), Kennedy, Morrison (Ifill 66), Scowcroft. Subs Not Used: Flinders, Kuqi, Butterfield.

Booked: Watson.

Goals: Scowcroft 11, Watson 69.

Colchester: Gerken, Duguid, Baldwin (White 46), Brown,Elokobi (McLeod 67), Garcia, Watson, Izzet, Ephraim, Cureton,Iwelumo. Subs Not Used: Davison, Guy, Wordsworth.

Att: 5,857
Ref: R Beeby (Northamptonshire).



Posted by neil