Crystal Palace rose to 13th in the league today as they drew 1-1 with an in-form Preston side at Deepdale.
Yet another spectacular Darren Ambrose effort secured a good away point for the Eagles as he equalised in the 37th minute.
The midfielder, who is slowly gaining a cult status amongst fans, got on the end of an Alan Lee knock down to smash home from 18-yards and bag his eighth of the season.
The equaliser came just two minutes after going behind to an expert Ross Wallace free-kick that left Speroni with little chance.
The second half saw Palace have the better of the game in terms of chances but Preston stopper Andy Lonnergan was once again on top form to twice deny the standout player on the pitch Ambrose as well as Nathanial Clyne and Stern John.
We can be extremely proud of the performance and taking a point from Deepdale is always a good result especially considering the injuries we had going into the game and obviously not to mention the off-field difficulties.
Contrary to speculation it was Clyne who once again came in at left back leaving Lee Hills to settle for a place on the bench. However the young left back did get his chance to impress as Clyne limped off in the second-half, let’s hope it isn’t a serious problem.
Claude Davis did come in at centre-back though and contributed to a commanding defensive display from the Palace rear-guard. A good sign considering the opposition we have coming up next who have an uncanny knack of scoring four goals per game of late.
Another injury concern for Tuesday’s derby clash with QPR will be Alan Lee who was forced off the field with blood streaming from a head wound. Although it’s probably the gaffer who will have a headache of the selection variety as he tries to find a recognised forward to start with Stern John. Sears didn’t make today’s game, Moses was dragged off after 50 minutes and now Alan Lee is a doubt.
I’d like to see young Cadogan or Nathanial Pinney given an opportunity from the start on Tuesday. The current crop of youngsters have been off the boil recently with Cyne out of the team, Moses finding form and goals hard to come by in equal measures and Scannel and Hills left out in the cold. I think it would give the whole place an injection of excitement both in the terraces and in the camp especially going forward where we need it most.
Mick Jones said last week he thought they were ready to come in to the team in the coming weeks and this injury crisis and lack of goals is surely a perfect excuse to throw them in.
Here's hoping!
2 comments:
You summed up the game well and it's clear that Ambrose is already a fan favourite. That was clear when I went to Palace with City. It's a shame you haven't been able to carry on that performance against City all season though. I was impressed with the way you attacked and tore through a much more superior outfit.
I know but to rip people apart like that we rely on Moses being on top form which rarely happens atm. There's also far more pressure in the league we can't afford to lose so we play more defensively.
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