Early and late strikes seal Palace’s fate

Palace came off second best when the League Leaders came visiting on Saturday although a point would probably have been fairer reward.

It seemed that the usual first half problems would haunt Palace after Cardiff scored after a minute. A poor touch, from the othereise excellent Gary Borrowdale allowed Steve Thompson to play in Michael Chopra who lashed an unstoppable shot past Gabor Kiraly.

Palace hit back and for a good part of the half dominated possession, but without threatening. Leon Cort and the frequently out-paced Shefti Kuqi both had efforts easily saved by Neil Alexander in the Cardiff goal. Jobi McAnuff came the closest ro an equaliser with a cross shot from the edge of the box that beat Alexander but ran narrowly wide.

At the other end, Cardiff’s attackes were sporadic, but dangerous. They were quick and lively on the break and forced Kiraly into a some solid saves.

Five minutes before half time, Palace got the break they had worked hard for when McAnuff set up Stuart Green with a clever pass for a 1:1 which he finished in some style after rounding the keeper, for his first goal for the club.

Palace started the second half gingerly after Matt Lawrence was taken off with a broken toe and almost paid the price early on, as Paul Parry cut back a strong cross right on the byline with Palace protesting the ball had gone. The ball fizzled across the face of the goal, but two Cardiff players couldn’t quite turn it in.

After some decent chances at both ends throughout the half from James Scowcroft and McAnuff for Palace and Thompson and Chopra for Cardiff, the game seemed to be heading for a draw, but in the 84th minute Palace allowed michael Chopra to cut in from the left and run the ball forward. He crashed a snapshot which beat the outsrecthed Kiraly and cannoned back off the post straight into the path of Riccardo Scimeca, who had the simply job of tapping into an unguarded net.

Palace frantically pushed in the dying minutes, but a couple of tame corners were all they had to show for their inductry when the final whistle sounded.

A disappointing result for Palace, one that sent them flying down the table to ninth after all the weekend’s results. Cardiff were certainly a strong side and on the day had the luck to won in, but hardly of the pedigree of Reading of last season. Talk of them running away with it may be a little premature.

Palace: Kiraly, Lawrence (Hudson 45), Ward, Cort,Borrowdale, McAnuff (Freedman 67), Watson, Green (Soares 85),Kennedy, Scowcroft, Kuqi. Subs Not Used: Speroni, Morrison.

Goals: Green 40.

Cardiff: Alexander, Gilbert, Purse, Loovens, Chambers, Parry,McPhail, Scimeca, Ledley (Kamara 69), Chopra,Thompson (Campbell 80). Subs Not Used: Johnson, Flood, Glombard.

Booked: Chopra.

Goals: Chopra 2, Scimeca 84.

Att: 18,876
Ref: P Walton (Northamptonshire).

Posted by neil