Reserves get hammered on South Coast

** Report courtesy of Paul James**

Palace were comprehensively beaten by a Saints side at their Staplewood training ground. Southmapton had plenty about them: Solid at the back, tidy in midfield and displaying pace and style upfront.

Our second string suffered from the same problem with ball rentation that blights the senior side all too often, but they were up for the battle.

Ex-palace keeper Kevin Miller was in goal for The Saints and was called into action to stop a Wayne Andrews effort after 10 minutes. A few minutes later, Lewis Grabben (pictured) sent in a dangerous cross which panicked the home defence, but in the main there was little end product, despite some decent movement.

One glorious pass down the flank from Rhoys Wiggins set up Andrews for a pop at goal, but the ball went off the other side of the pitch for a throw! Marco Reich, returning from injury, show the odd flash of class, but was generally quiet.

Glenn Wilson looked assured, alongside his a rather nervous centre-half partner in Kamara, until the 23 minute when he gave away a penalty which was converted by Dexter Blackstock. Palace were chasing the game thereafter.

In the second half Condesso added a second for the Saints and a Marian Pahars double gave the scoreline an undeserved gloss.

Teddy Sheringham’s son Charlie, recently released by Ipswich, came on late in the second half, but appeared to lack his father flair. On the palace side, Starkey is a prospect and Grabban shows flashes of ability, but after the first goal, this was always going to be Southampton’s night.

Palace: Wilkinson, Fray, Wilson, Kamara, Wiggins; Reich (Sheringham), Starkey, Watanabe, Dayton (Lyons), Andrews (Kudjodji) Subs not used: Pearson, Hills.



Posted by neil