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May 8 2024 10.53pm

Wimbledon 2 - 2 Palace

Sat Oct 19 2002 - League

Crystal Palace managed to throw away a two-goal lead and allowed Wimbledon to come back and grab a point in the Selhurst Park derby.

Palace thought the win was safe when Julian Gray and Andy Johnson put them two up with 15 minutes to go.

Match Stats

Ground: Selhurst Park (Attendance: 6538)

Wimbledon: Davis, Holloway, Gier, Leigertwood, Hawkins (Agyemang, 78), McAnuff, Francis, Darlington, Tapp (Andersen, 73), Shipperley, Connolly

Subs not used: Heald, Nowland, Reo-Coker

Goals: Shipperley 77, Agyemang 79

Booking: Tapp

Palace: Michopoulos, Butterfield, Popovic, Mullins, Granville, Routledge (Freedman, 87), Riihilahti, Derry, Gray, Johnson, Adebola

Subs not used: Kolinko, Black, Rubins, Antwi

Goals: Gray 15, Johnson 71

Bookings: Granville, Mullins

Referee: Mike Pike (Barrow-in-Furness)

But former Eagle Neil Shipperley and Patrick Agyemang gave fellow tennants Wimbledon a draw and send the minority of the 6,538 crowd into raptures.

The Dons nearly took thelead right from the kick-off. David Connolly was put through by Shipperley and the Irish international's shot hit the woodwork.

Damien Francis managed to sky the rebound high and wide. Dele Adebola then had a header go over the crossbar from a Gray free-kick.

Then on 15, Gray put the "away" side ahead when he got on the end of Wayne Routledge's right-wing cross which Adebola dummied, turned and fired home.

Kelvin Davis saved a Gray thunderbolt and Adebola hit the crossbar with a header from the resulting corner.

As half-time approached, Nik Michopoulos was called into action, saving a Shipperley effort.

Johnson doubled Palace's lead and it had much to do with Adebola, who beat two defenders in the box and his shot was saved by the keeper but only as far as Johnson who made no mistake to score.

But Shipperley started the Dons' fightback when he latched onto Connelly's pass and fired through the legs of Michopoulos in the 77th minute.

Then just two minutes later, substitute Agyemang got on the end of a weak Hayden Mullins back pass to score the equaliser.

Post match comments:

Francis said: "As a manager I can't legislate for individual mistakes. Both Shaun Derry and Hayden Mullins were apologetic to their team-mates, but the players must learn that these errors are costing us maximum points.


Both Shaun Derry and Hayden Mullins were apologetic to their team-mates, but the players must learn that these errors are costing us maximum points
Trevor Francis

"It has become a regular occurrence in recent weeks that we seem to do enough to win and then let it slip. I am left wondering if my players know how to win. We seem to believe that the game is over and find ourselves drawing the game.

"We're not losing games and have been beaten just three times all season, but it's victories we need.

"The players need to clear their heads while shaking off the disappointment of not winning and preparing for the Brighton game next Saturday. It's going to be hard work on the training ground."

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