CRYSTAL PALACE 1-1 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
TEAM
Westwood, Osbourne, Dann, Turner, Fox, Doyle, Gunnarsson, Beuzelin, Simpson, Morrison, Eastwood (Beat 86) SNU Thornton, Ward, Hall, Marshall
Palace
Speroni, Lawrence, Fonte, Davis, Mills, Ifill (Cadogan 60), Danns, Derry, Moses, Kuqi, Stokes (Fonte 68) SNU Clyne, Carle, Comley
HT CPFC 0-1 CCFC FT CPFC 1-1 CCFC
Att 12,898
Goals Aron Gunnarsson (30), Keiron Cadogan (71)
Ref F.Graham
Booked Derry, Davis, Osbourne
Man Of The Match Aron Gunnarsson took the votes.
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STARTING LINE UP
Chris Coleman had to run with who was available. Isaac Osbourne came in for Stephen Wright at right back. Michael Doyle replaced Jordan Henderson who has broken a bone in his foot and Robbie Simpson replaced Leon Best
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Coventry City's inability to kill teams off cost them another two points in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.
Around 500 City supporters including one regular visitor from Norway, made the journey to Selhurst Park. Our trip through the capital to this enclave was eventful with road rage aplenty, a minor shunt and a cyclist getting revenge on a bus driver who had cut him up.
Thankfully, we arrived at the ground in plenty of time and were there to see a game that was as equally lively. In fact, by the third minute, there had been more goalmouth action than in the Reading game on Saturday.
Aron Gunnarsson, who ran well all night, playing behind the front pairing of Morrison and Simpson, got down the right and got in a shot which Speroni fumbled.
Clinton Morrison, who had been well applauded by the Palace fanatics in the stand to our left, with their banners and flags including a wanted one with a picture of Morrison who is Palace's third all time highest scorer, closed in and won City a corner.
Danny Fox curled just over from a free kick a minute later before two Palace attacks were stopped by Isaac Osbourne.
The stand in right back was part of a pretty solid back four in the first half. Dann and Turner did their best whilst Danny Fox made some important tackles to stop any moves down Palace's right.
For the first half, Freddie Eastwood was involved. In the 24th minute, he ghosted in from the right and drilled a shot, which Speroni did very well to push away.
Aron Gunnarsson was another one playing some good balls but on the half hour mark, he was on the receiving end of a move involving Isaac Osbourne and Robbie Simpson and rose to send a flick header into the far corner of the net past the diving Speroni.
With City, a second goal is always needed and Palace were nearly level eight minutes after our goal when Morrison blocked on the line and four minutes before the end of the half when Westwood dived full length to push away an Anthony Stoke shot on the turn.
With Beuzelin now winning a lot more tackles and the Ice Man still pushing forward, City had the opportunity to take the game to Palace in the second half.
It was one they did not take. After Gunnarrson had blasted over on the hour mark and wasted a good chance he should buried four minutes later, Palace brought on U18's star Keiron Cadogan.
A youngster, being watched by a number of clubs including Manchester United and one who had played against City U18's on March 28th, pounced on a mistake by Turner and rounded Keiren Westwood to fire into an empty net before being mobbed by his team mates.
We stood in the Arthur Wait Stand looking at each other, knowing that two points had been tossed away.
Talking of tossing, a Palace fan in the neutral part of the Arthur Wait Stand, began touching himself inappropriately. After being repeatedly warned to cease these obscene acts, he was finally ejected by the stewards much to the howls of laughter from many of the Southern based City supporters who had come straight from work.
Eastwood, whose goals are costing City £36,000 a time based on his wages, had done little in the second half against Jose Fonte, who from the back looked a spitting image of how Chris Coleman looked in his Palace playing days and he was replaced by Leon Best, whose groin strain seemed to heeled up since Chris Coleman spoke to the media after the Reading game.
With the last kick of the match, Beuzelin flashed over a shot from 25 yards and City were forced to settle for only a point when they should have left with all three.