Palace tame the Beasts

The second game in the Cornwall tour saw Palace notch another four goals, but only after step-six triple trophy winners Bodmin Town had taken the lead in the first half.

Palace responded early in the second half with goals from Johnny Ertl, Carl Fletcher and a barce from James Dayton.

The first half was a real snore fest as Neil Warnock experimented with a relatively inexperienced starting line-up, including youngsters James Comley, Rhoys Wiggins and Jamie Smith. Unusually Palace also gave one of the fitness coaches, Dwain Taylor, a run out late on. According to fan by the dugout, Taylor should have been on for longer but turned his ankle during the warm-up and was instead restricted to a 15 minute cameo right at the end of the game.

Bodmin also had an old Palace face in their line-up in the corpulent shape of Kevin Miller, who drew the usual ripe comments from the Palace contingent in the crowd.

Palace only managed a couple of half-chances in the early exchanages through Calvin Andrew and Sean Scanell, before Bodmin drew first blood. A disputed free-kick 30 yards out was floated into the box and the Bodmin centre forward rose unchallenged to nick the ball over the advancing Darryl Flahaven on 26 minutes. The goal came as something of a shock to Palace and Bodmin had a couple of good chances to extend their lead.

On 32 minutes, Scannell best his marker out on the left touchline and also rounded Miller, he pushed the ball goalwards from an acute angle, Paul Ifill charged in to apply the finishing touch, but somehow a Bodmin defender slid in and blocked the ball right on the line. A huge scramble ensued, but no-one was able to turn it in.

Palace rung the changes at half time and it paid off in less than a minute after the restart. A deep Nick Carle corner was headed back into the danger zone and Ertl finished with a cracking volley. Palace almost made in two ten minutes later when a Paddy McCarthy header was cleared off the line, then Victor Moses almost recreated his goal against Watford last season. He skipped down the left touchline fired past Miller, but somehow the ball was scopped away.

The difference that Moses and Carle made to the play quite was dramatic and was typified but a wonderful move that lead to the Palace's second on 62 minutes. Moses jinked inside from the left and played the ball across the edge of the penalty box, Carle shaped to shoot but stepped over the ball instead perfectly setting up Carl Fletcher who drilled the ball low into the corner of the net.

On 70 minutes, Palace had the ball in the net again when Tom Soares lobbed the ball over Miller, but hit the post, new signing Simon Thomas finished the rebound, but from an offside position. Palace made a couple more substitutions that again lifted the game: Kieron Dijlali set up James Dayton, who fired narrowly wide. Dayton soon made amends on 75 minutes however with an rifling shot from the right edge of the box, still rising when it ballooned the net. He added a second five minutes later with another sound strike after shimmying past his marker and curling the ball around a defender and a disconsolate Miller from 20 yards.

Carle and Thomas also had decent chances in the half, whereas Bodmin were restricted to a single effort that troubled no-one. A routine outing, eventually enlivened by the artistry of Moses, Carle and Dayton. The Cornwall tour ends with potentially our toughest test at Truro City on Friday evening - kick off 7.30pm.

Palace: Flahaven, Comley, Ertl, McCarthy, Wiggins, Soares (Dijlali 70) , Fletcher, Smith (Carle h/t), Ifill (Moses h/t, Taylor 75), Andrew (Thomas h/t), Scanell (Dayton 70)

Goals: Ertl 45, Fletcher 62, Dayton 75, 80

Posted by neil