Wanderers 1 Crystal Palace 0
WANDERERS 4-3-3
JUSSI JAASKELAINEN ... 6
Tested once when he saved but couldn't hold Watson's shot; relieved to see Granville hit the rebound against the bar.
NICKY HUNT ... 6
Caught napping early on when he had to resort to some shirt-tugging to stop Kolkka but better after his return.
RADHI JAIDI ... 7
A towering presence against the Palace attackers and when he was tested in the second half, his timing was spot on.
BRUNO N'GOTTY ... 7
Survived penalty appeals when Johnson caught him cold early on but was soon back to his reliable self.
RICARDO GARDNER ... 7
An energetic performance considering he only arrived back from World Cup duty with Jamaica five hours earlier.
KEVIN NOLAN ... 8
Gutsy as ever, he ran himself into the ground - just 12 days after ankle surgery. Take a bow the backroom team.
IVAN CAMPO ... inj
Came off worst in the accidental clash of heads with Speed but, thankfully, early tests suggest the damage is not as bad as first feared.
GARY SPEED ... 8
The complete professional. At the end of an eventful week , he was an inspiration.
STELIOS ... 7
Started up front but ended up playing a key role in midfield after Campo's departure; Allardyce's man of the match.
KEVIN DAVIES ... 8
A wholehearted performance earned him a yellow card but was rewarded by his second goal of the season.
EL-HADJI DIOUF ... 6
Skills drew a tackle from Boyce that should have brought a penalty but a backheel too many saw withdrawal.
SUBS: Henrik Pedersen (7) for Campo 15 mins, Khalilou Fadiga for Diouf 77 mins, Anthony Barness for Nolan 93 mins. Not used: Les Ferdinand, Andy Oakes.
CRYSTAL PALACE 4-5-1
GABOR KIRALY ... 7
EMERSON BOYCE ... 5
TONY POPOVIC ... 6
FITZ HALL ... 6
DANNY GRANVILLE ... 6
BEN WATSON ... 7
WAYNE ROUTLEDGE ... 6
AKI RIIHILAHTI ... 5
MICHAEL HUGHES ... 6
JOONAS KOLKKA ... 6
ANDREW JOHNSON ... 7
SUBS: Vassilis Lakis (5) for Kolkka 61 mins, Dougie Freedman (5) for Watson 68 mins, Shaun Derry for Riihillahti 80 mins. Not used: Speroni, Sorondo.
REFEREE:
Neale Barry (Scunthorpe).
ATTENDANCE:
25,501.
GOAL:
Wanderers - Davies 45 min.
SHOTS/HEADERS ON TARGET:
Wanderers 4, Palace 2.
CORNERS:
Wanderers 5, Palace 4.
OFFSIDES:
Wanderers 3, Palace 3.
FOULS COMMITTED:
Wanderers 18, Palace 17.
BOOKINGS:
Wanderers - Davies 83 mins (foul on Boyce); Palace - Watson 27 mins (foul on Diouf).
MAN OF THE MATCH
KEVIN NOLAN
COMMITMENT is the minimum requirement of a professional sportsman but seeing Nolan running himself almost to a standstill just 12 days after surgery on his ankle was inspirational.
MAGIC MOMENT
SLACK Palace defending gave him the space and the opportunity but Davies still had plenty to do with his back to goal to convert N'Gotty's free kick beyond Kiraly.
It was the striker's second goal of the season and just reward for some hard-working performances throughout the last few weeks.
MOAN OF THE MATCH
REFEREE Neale Barry was only applying the rules making Speed change his blood-stained shirts but it would have been an injustice if, with Wanderers down to 10 men, Danny Granville's shot had gone in and not hit the bar.
The consequences of the rule could have proved disastrous for the Reebok side.
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