MPG clips of Leon McKenzie's goal available via the MPG page or via the link on the goal time (above).
| Oldham Athletic (0) 0 | Crystal Palace (0) 1 |
| McKenzie 2' | |
| Attendance : 5,282 | |
| Referee : Mr. R. Furnandez | Doncaster |
Team : Nash, Edworthy, Gordon, Roberts, Rodger, Linnighan, Muscat, Houghton, McKenzie, Dyer, Veart
Substitutes : Freedman(Dyer 62'), Cyrus, Shipperley(McKenzie 62').
MPG clips of Leon McKenzie's goal available via the MPG page or via the link on the goal time (above).
| Reports From : | |
| Keith Farnsworth | Peter Ball |
| of the Daily Telegraph | of The Times |
Ray Bateup's Report
Palace's have only won 3 times in their previous 19 visits to Boundary Park but this afternoon they secured an important 1-0 victory over struggling Oldham and marginally eased their dismal record.
Ray Houghton, as expected, came in for the suspended David Hopkin whilst Carl Veart continued to deputise for the injured Dave Tuttle. But, Simon Rodger, a player who Palace have been trying to unload for most of the season, surprisingly, walked straight back into the Palace side after a loan spell at Stoke with Dougie Freedman becoming the odd man out.
Palace got off to a dream start only 2 minutes into the match when 18 year old Leon McKenzie rose on the edge of the 6 yard box to head home Bruce Dyer's right wing cross - his second goal in consecutive matches.
Just 9 minutes later Simon Rodger almost made it two with a 25 yard drive which the Oldham keeper saved, but, just 2 minutes after that, an unsighted Carlo Nash threw himself to the right to smother a long-range Richardson effort on the line.
However, Palace took their foot of the peddle, and with Oldham fighting for their first division survival, their lead began to look very fragile.
Richardson forced a very good two-handed save out of Carlo Nash in the 25th minute and Graham, completely unmarked, spectacularly headed well wide 3 minutes later.
The Northern side were finding plenty of attacking opportunities down the Palace right and in the 31st minute the Latic's striker Sean McCarthy, with only Nash to beat, had the ball whipped off his toes by a timely Simon Rodger intervention. And, Carlo Nash had to race off his line in the 35th minute to clear the danger from ex-Everton forward Stuart Barlow.
Palace briefly came back into the game in the dying minutes of the first half with Carl Veart shooting tamely at the Oldham keeper and on the stroke of half time Bruce Dyer, attacking down the Palace left, sent a low cross which McKenzie volleyed off a defender for a corner.
Oldham, having made a double substitution at half time, continued to make life difficult for the Palace defence early in the second period without creating any clear-cut opportunities.
Carl Veart had a 30 yard effort soar over the bar in the 58th minute before Steve Coppell decided to revitalise the Palace attack by bringing on Freedman and Shipperley at the expense of McKenzie and Dyer.
Within 10 minutes of coming on, Dougie Freedman, almost increased the Eagles' lead with a close range header that was well saved but Veart, sadly, was unable to tee up the rebound and the chance was lost.
Seventy four minutes into the match Carl Veart had another drive from the edge of the area saved and within 2 minutes Freedman played a neat one-two inside the area with Shipperley but his shot was blocked once again by the Oldham custodian.
Meanwhile at the other end of the park a Stuart Barlow snap-shot almost caught Nash napping and the same player had, arguably, the Latic's best chance of the game in the 83rd minute when he beat the Palace off-side trap - fortunately, Nash was quick off his line to narrow the angle and Barlow's low drive went into the side-netting.
With just 4 minutes left on the clock Warnock brought on the seasoned campaigner and assistant manager Andy Ritchie on for Beresford but it was too little, too late for the Northerners and the visitors snatched the points and regained 5th spot in the play-off zone and in the process left Oldham rooted firmly in the relegation mire.
With David Hopkin available for selection again, Gareth Davies returning from his loan spell at Cardiff and hopefully a fit again Dave Tuttle, Palace should be at full strength going into the Easter period.
And, who knows, maybe one or two new faces being added to the squad by this Thursday's transfer deadline day ?
Ray Bateup
Report from The Daily Telegraph by
Keith Farnsworth
Teenager Leon McKenzie's second-minute goal clinched Crystal Palace's fourth win in the last five away games to haul them back into the play-off zone while adding to Oldham's woes at the foot of the table.
McKenzie, making only his third start of the season, hit the target for the second successive game with an easy header as Bruce Dyer's cross exposed poor marking to catch Oldham cold and condemn them to a fifth defeat in their last seven home matches.
It sealed only Palace's second double over Oldham in 73 years and 20 attempts, and it might be a happy omen for manager Steve Coppell that the only previous occasion they have done it was in the 1988-89 promotion campaign.
However, despite their early lift, Palace hardly resembled a side with Premiership aspirations, while Oldham, with only two wins now in 13 games, never lacked effort.
In the first half Lee Richardson was twice denied by excellent saves from Carlo Nash while Richard Graham headed wide and, when Stuart Barlow created a splendid opening, Sean McCarthy's slow reaction allowed Simon Rodger to block his shot.
Near the end, Barlow, sent clear by Paul Rickers, drove the ball into the side netting from close range.
Palace produced little to inspire after taking the lead until midway through the second half, when substitute Dougie Freedman forced two superb saves from Gary Kelly.
Oldham have not fallen below the top two grades for 23 years and Neil Warnock, while dismayed at seeing his side punished for that early error, said: Don't write us off. we'll fight all the way and we can get out of trouble yet."
Keith Farnsworth
Report from The Times by
Peter Ball
Crystal Palace continued their impressive run of results under Steve Coppell at Boundary Park yesterday. Leon McKenzie's second goal in successive games brought them their third win in five games under Coppell, taking them up into fifth position.
With games in hand on all the teams above them except Barnsley, and six of their remaining nine games at home, they are handily placed, with the second automatic promotion place in their sights. Even the auspices are in their favour this was only their second double over Oldham Athletic; the first was in 1989, when they won promotion under Coppell.
"I can't see there's much difference between top and bottom," Neil Warnock, the Oldham manager, said after the game, and few could argue. Certainly on this form it is hard to see Palace as realistic contenders.
Oldham looked what they are, a team struggling against relegation, battling desperately, but short of composure and confidence, especially in front of goal, where they wasted enough chances to have won two or three matches.
Despite a wonderful start, with a goal after two minutes, Palace were not much better, only the confidence of their run of results giving them a veneer that Oldham lacked.
With Hopkin suspended, Houghton came back in for a quiet return after his three months out, but Rodger was dynamic as the holding man in midfield; and both front pairs proved a constant handful for the Oldham defence, the 18-year-old McKenzie, the son of Clinton and nephew of Duke, proving as lethal in front of goal as they were in the ring.
How Warnock must have looked longingly at the Palace bench, with Shipperley and Freedman staying there until the hour, as McKenzie and Dyer were given first go. It worked inside two minutes, Dyer shrugging aside Hodgson to cross for McKenzie to put a free header past Kelly.
That, though, was Palace's best moment. "We lost the initiative after a terrific start," Coppell said, and they were fortunate not to lose more.
With Nash flapping at crosses, Oldham had the chances to win, but Barlow, McCarthy and Serrant missed the best of them, and Palace survived, leaving Oldham anchored in the relegation zone, and with Bolton and Barnsley lying in wait. "Don't write us off, not in this league," Warnock warned.
Peter Ball
