Clarets look for win against Palace

Our latest search for that elusive win comes against a side who have recaptured their form in the last couple of weeks and arrive at Turf Moor on the back of successive wins against Southend and Luton.

It's been something of a disappointing season all round for Palace. There were high hopes following the acrimonious departure of former manager Iain Dowie and the arrival of the Legend Peter Taylor, but it has hardly been plain sailing and after plummeting with four successive defeats in October they are only just recovering with their current position of eleventh as high as they have been for five months.

It was back in August that we visited Selhurst Park and although we had to settle for a point from a 2-2 draw I would think our first half performance that afternoon was as good as anything we have played all season. We really looked head and shoulders better than Palace that day and it was no surprise that we went on to hold a position way above them in the table.

There's been little change in the Palace squad since that meeting. Everton goalkeeper Iain Turner spent a month on loan there in November and December but he's been the only loan signing all season. Taylor did though bring in two new signings during the January transfer window.

The first of these was midfielder David Martin who cost them £25,000 from Dartford and also moving to Selhurst Park was Paul Ifill from Sheffield United, he cost a fee of £750,000.

Since that poor run in October they have only lost four more games out of eighteen, two of those defeats coming in successive games last month at Leeds and then at home to Birmingham when they beaten more comfortably than the 1-0 score suggests.

Since then have come the two wins. Paul Ifill's first Palace goal was enough to give them a win at Southend and last week Clinton Morrison scored twice to ensure victory over Luton.

Click HERE to see all Palace's results this season.

The Legend does have some injury problems ahead of the game with Stuart Green, the player he brought from Norwich, and former Blackburn striker Shefki Kuqi both ruled out with shoulder and knee injuries respectively.

Jobi McAnuff (hamstring) and Paul Ifill (achilles) remain doubtful whilst midfielder Mark Kennedy is unlikely to feature after being substituted in the win over Luton with a hamstring injury. Matt Lawrence was stretchered off in that game but could play after initial fears of a serious knee ligament injury and Gary Borrowdale picked up a knock and is currently rated touch and go, but will more than likely make it.

The good news for Palace is that Ben Watson is back in training this week after being out for the past four weeks with a thigh strain sustained in the win over Ipswich on the first Saturday in February.

The suggestions are that Ifill will probably play in a Palace side that could line up in 4-3-3 as follows: Gabor Kiraly, Danny Butterfield, Mark Hudson, Leon Cort, Gary Borrowdale, Paul Ifill, Carl Fletcher, Tom Soares, Dougie Freedman, James Scowcroft, Clinton Morrison. Subs: Julian Speroni, Darren Ward, Lewis Grabban, Ben Watson, David Martin.

Click HERE to see the full Palace squad.

For Steve Cotterill it is a matter of wait and see whether either or both of Wayne Thomas and Chris McCann make it. Both started at full back last week at Colchester, both were stretchered off and both have been having treatment all week. It appears one has a much better chance of making it than the other and that is likely to be McCann.

If fit he could move into the midfield to replace Kyle Lafferty who will miss this game with a one match suspension following his late yellow card last week and that could see Jon Harley return at left back having been replaced for the last game.

The obvious replacement for Thomas is Michael Duff, who came on and played so well last week, whereas it is likely to be same again for the rest of the team which will see us probably start as follows:

Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, John McGreal, Steven Caldwell, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Ade Akinbiyi, Andy Gray. Subs: Stephen Foster, Garreth O'Connor, Graham Branch, Steve Jones, Eric Djemba-Djemba.

Last season's meeting with Palace at home was a game that ended goalless but was a game we really should have won. It came at a time when we were finally getting some results after a difficult period of results and this game proved to be our sixth game without defeat.

Burnley were the better side in the first half when Chris McCann hit the post with one effort and an Alan Mahon free kick game close to giving us the lead. Palace were fortunate to be level at half time but we got even further on top in the second half.

We just couldn't take our chances though, Kyle Lafferty, on as a substitute, missed two, and it was Andy Gray's turn to hit the woodwork when he looked a certain scorer. And with the last chance of the match Mahon shot wide when he really should have squared the ball for the unmarked Gray.

The outstanding performances overall were at the back where both central defenders Michael Duff and John McGreal were in top form, as was Frank Sinclair at right back. Further forward James O'Connor was the pick in the midfield.

We were starting to look a decent side again, Gray and Mahon were settling in to the side, and all talk of a relegation battle were long gone.

The teams were;

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Frank Sinclair, Michael Duff, John McGreal, Jon Harley, James O'Connor, Micah Hyde, Chris McCann (Kyle Lafferty 39), Alan Mahon, Graham Branch, Andy Gray. Subs not used: Garreth O'Connor, John Spicer, Wade Elliott, Danny Karbassiyoon.

Crystal Palace: Gabor Kiraly, Emmerson Boyce, Gary Borrowdale, Darren Ward, Mark Hudson, Marco Reich, Ben Watson, Mikele Leigertwood (Michael Hughes 61), Tom Soares, Jonathan Macken (Dougie Freedman 69), Clinton Morrison (Andy Johnson 67). Subs not used: Julian Speroni, Danny Butterfield.