Asleep in the Valleys

Another ultra-defensive performance away from Selhurst saw Palace win few friends, but with a point in the bag.

Cardiff were shadow of the side that was riding high last October when they visited us, without a win in 8 League games and, as such, could well have been ripe for the taking. Peter Taylor had other ideas, however, and only it was largely thanks to Scott Flinders’ best performance so far in goal that the tactic came good.

Flinders was magnificent, a couple of brilliant stretching saves from Willo Flood at last revealing the sort of talent that inpsired Taylor to shell out £400,00 for him. He was also helped by some really wayward shooting from the Welshmen.

Once again, Palace’s shot totals were an absolute embarrassment. It’s one thing to stifle the opposition, but if in doing so, you don’t create either, then it seems rather pointless. Oh but we did get a point, I forgot somehow.

Palace’s best move came halfway through the second half when an uncharacteristically slick and sweeping move culminated in Jobi McAnuff, our liveliest outfield player, heading over from six yards. Palace did have the ball in the net, when Clinton Morrison raced onto a backward header from a Cardiff defender and finished clinically. Sadly, though he’d been offside much earlier in the move, not that it stopped him from tearing the linesman off a strip and earning himself a booking.

With weather getting steadily worse, Palace clung on for the draw. Aside from Flinders and McAnuff, there was very little to write home about in terms of player performances. Danny Butterfield was dreadfully exposed by the formation that left Ben Watson and Morrison puzzling over who should be covering him and he visibly wilted under the onslaught. Mark Hudson and Darren Ward spared his blushes, but it wasn’t pretty. Had Cardiff had tried probing the other flank, they would have found Matt Lawrence gingerly playing out of position and perhaps might have had more luck.

James Scowcroft looked faor more mobile than Shefki Kuqi in the forward role, but missed having a strike partner close at hand and, like all Palace strikers at the moment, suffered from woeful lack of service.

Surely Palace can’t play this negatively at home to Norwich on New Year’s Day?

Palace: Flinders, Lawrence, Ward, Hudson, Butterfield,McAnuff, Watson (Reich 75), Kennedy, Fletcher, Scowcroft,Morrison (Kuqi 84). Subs Not Used: Wilkinson, Freedman, Cort.

Booked: Morrison.

Cardiff Alexander, Gilbert, McNaughton (Cooper 77), Purse,Loovens, McPhail, Flood (Blake 90), Ledley, Scimeca,Thompson (Campbell 90), Chopra. Subs Not Used: Johnson, Wright.

Booked: McNaughton, Thompson, Gilbert.

Att: 13,704
Ref: M Jones (Cheshire).


Posted by neil