September 14 2002

Wayne Routledge

WAYNE ROUTLEDGE scored his first ever goal for Palace as the Eagles beat Wolves 4-2 at Selhurst Park.

The wonderkid gave Palace a great start scoring with a right foot piledriver, from a Danny Butterfield cross on the left, which went into the roof of the net in the first minute.

Only a last-ditch tackle stopped him from adding a second goal when he latched on to a through-ball two minutes afterwards.

His pace and trickery caused Wolves problems throughout the game and later involved in a goal later on.

Butterfield missed a glorious chance to make it 2-0 but somehow managed to sky his close range effort over the bar, when it would have been esier to score from Andy Johnson's low cross from the right on seven minutes.

Shortly after, Dougie Freedman was sent through on goal but missed the target - Palace should have been three up.

Then following a Palace corner, Wolves cleared the ball down the other end and got the equaliser on 31.

Dean Sturridge took the ball off Hayden Mullins in midfield and ran down the right. He crossed into the danger area where Ivar Ingimarsson - being tracked back by Steve Thomson - shot and the onrushing Alex Kolinko could only get a slight touch and the ball looped over into the back of the net.

It only took Palace five minutes to regain the lead as Butterfield's left wing cross was headed home by the unmarked Dougie Freedman.

Freedman made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Oakes had brought down Andy Johnson on the hour mark.

Nine minutes later, Nathan Blake gave the visitors a chance to comeback into the game when he slotted home a Kolinko fumble following Paul Ince's drive.

But Palace made sure of the points when Thomson scored a great volley in the six-yard box from Mullins' floated cross from the right.

It was their first home league win of the season, while Wolves suffered their second succesive defeat.

Palace: Kolinko, Fleming, Granville, Butterfield, Popovic, Mullins, Johnson, Freedman, Thomson, ROUTLEDGE, Powell.

Subs: Cronin, Black, Rubins, Frampton, Adebola.

Wolves: Oakes, Naylor, Rae, Lescott, Butler, Newton, Irwin, Blake, Ingimarsson, Ince, Sturridge.

Subs: Cooper, Proudlock, Murray, Pollet, Miller.