Palace share the spoils

October 18 2003

Dougie Freedman

Dougie Freedman grabbed his seventh goal of the season, to give Palace a 1-1 draw against Rotherham United.

Rotherham have failed to win away from home all season but they looked like getting the three points when Chris Swailes fired them into a 32nd-minute lead.

Luckily for the Eagles, hitman Freedman levelled in the 57th minute to take a little pressure off boss Kember, whose side have only won twice in 11 league matches.

Palace started brightly and Neil Shipperley should have given them the lead but he headed Wayne Routledge’s cross wide.

Rotherham’s Darren Byfield had an even better chance to score with a one-on-one with the keeper but was denied by former Lens stopper Cedric Berthelin.

Talbot hit the woodwork for the Millers with a speculative shot in the box before his side went in front when Swailes headed home Scott Minto’s cross.

Palace’s Danny Butterfield fired over the bar with a long-range effort and Rotherham’s Byfield went close.

But three minutes before the hour mark, Shaun Barker’s slip inside the box allowed Freedman to slot home the equaliser.

Palace pushed for a winner, and even though the Millers went down to 10 men when keeper Mike Pollitt handled outside the box in the 87th minute, the scores remained level.

Crystal Palace: Berthelin, Powell, Mullins, Fleming, Routledge, Derry, Butterfield, Black, Johnson, Shipperley, Freedman.

Subs: Symons, Smith, Riihilahti, Borrowdale, Cronin.

Rotherham: Pollitt, Scott, Shaun Barker, Swailes, Minto, Sedgwick, Robinson, Talbot, Warne, Byfield, Butler.

Subs: Hurst, Mullin, Monkhouse, Richard Barker, Montgomery.

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