CRYSTAL PALACE 2 Wanderers 2 NATHAN Blake will be hoping Fulham's new leaders off the pitch are not really intent on making Peter Beardsley their guiding light on it.

Blake is starting to warm up big time for Wanderers - and it is the evergreen Beardsley who is stoking his fire.

The huge potential of their contrasting but complimentary assets materialised as they pulled off a thrilling rescue act after another nightmare start at the other end threatened to inflict a repeat of the Highbury hammering of a fortnight ago.

Sluggish defending handed Palace a two-goal lead inside an opening 20 minute spell in which Wanderers had otherwise made most of the advances.

Indeed, the damage would have been irreparable had Keith Branagan failed to conjure a sensational double save to deny Kevin Muscat with a flying leap and Paul Warhurst at point blank range before Wanderers' front line double act took centre stage.

Blake did not score but he did everything else with an outstanding contribution that had Palace helpless and Beardsley drawing flattering comparisons with Andy Cole at his best.

"Nathan reminds me a lot of Andy when I played with him at Newcastle," enthused the 36-year-old Geordie genius who the media machine would have us believe is wanted at the playing helm of the Craven Cottage revolution.

"He is so sharp around the box and terrific at taking chances as well as creating them. In our two games in London he has made all three of our goals."

In this mood there isn't a striker in the land who frightens defenders more than Blake. Take his unrivalled pace and power, add a willingness to work and throw in a top quality final ball and the only ingredient left to produce one of the tastiest strikers in the land is a hint of goals.

Getting into the right position isn't a problem as he proved repeatedly against Spurs last week and confirmed at Selhurst Park where he twice raced clean through only for the killer touch to elude him with just overworked keeper Kevin Miller to beat.

"Nathan could have been the leading goalscorer in the Premiership by now," admitted boss Colin Todd.

"He is not taking his chances at the moment but he's continuing to get into the right positions."

The 'B' team served notice of their growing understanding 10 minutes before the break when Blake whipped in a glorious cross for Beardsley to expertly convert the chance at full stretch. They were at it again three minutes later, this time joined by the constantly prompting Alan Thompson, the trio blazing an elusive trail through a mesmerised Palace defence which was let off the hook by Beardsley's failure to provide the clinical connection to a slightly awkward final ball.

While the front men stole the show, the authoritative Thompson played a vital supporting role which justified Todd's after-match tip that he's an international of the future.

The middle man became increasingly in charge of business as Wanderers' confidence and command grew and he was desperately unlucky to be denied a memorable goal by Miller's acrobatics two minutes after Palace's second.

Although choked to see yet more points slip away, he was cheered by the encouraging signs materialising in front of him.

"Nathan and Peter played very well and created plenty of chances," he reflected. "Nathan could easily have had a couple himself while Peter looked lively and I believe that if we can get those two lively regularly we will cause a lot of problems."

Thompson was left seething by a crucial tug by Muscat in the dying minutes which denied him a golden opportunity to win the game and he is adamant it should have resulted in a penalty.

"It was a clear pull which denied us the chance to win the game," he fumed. "I had a free header on goal so I didn't need to fall over. It was a definite penalty.

"Any win will do us now but I'm sure it will come soon the way we are playing.

"We did well to get back in the game because if you go two goals down anywhere, especially away from home, you are in big trouble. At least we are not getting beaten. Apart from the hammering at Arsenal we have stood up well and we are sure to get some wins." The concern over their sluggish start at Selhurst was echoed throughout the camp with Beardsley warning: "No disrespect to Palace but if we give the likes of Man United and Arsenal a two-goal start I couldn't see any way back. It was a barnstorming fightback but unfortunately it needed to be because of the way we started."

The defence was nowhere to be seen as Warhurst latched on to Jamie Fullarton's through ball to neatly slot his second of the season past Branagan. And the Wanderers' keeper was again left stranded when Dean Gordon collected a half clearance in acres of space and crashed his first of the campaign in off the far post.

"We keep shooting ourselves in the foot in the first 20 minutes," complained Todd.

"We went two down at Coventry and did similarly at Arsenal. We start sloppy, play in the wrong areas and don't take responsibility.

"We are so keen to play football all the time that we bring problems on ourselves.

"But again we excelled after our bad start. In the end we were bitterly disappointed because without being disrespectful to Palace we feel we can come to these places and win."

Wanderers' vulnerability at the back was not helped by yet another reshuffle forced by Mark Fish's absence with a knee injury. And while Andy Todd took to the job as if he had played there all his life, Palace's penetration of the unit was a lesson that much work still needs to the done.

They were tighter after a half time adjustment but were still lucky to emerge unscathed as first Warhurst then Freedman connected horribly with gilt-edged chances from just outside the six-yard box.

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