Palace v Reading

Selhurst Park, Saturday 3.00pm

Neil Shipperley

Team news

SHIPPERLEY's absence means Dougie Freedman will partner Andy Johnson up front if he manages to shake off a niggling ankle injury.

Julian Gray (knee) is another who will have a late fitness test. Aki Rihiilahti is out for at least two weeks with Achilles tendonitis.

Darren Powell is about to complete his move to Reading in the next few days, so won't feature for either side.

Reading full-back Graeme Murty is likely to miss out with an ankle injury. His replacement, former Eagle Ricky Newman, is suspended.

Steve Brown is also injured, so midfielder Andy Hughes should take his place in the side. Kevin Watson and Nicky Forster are both sidelined.

Reading - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
8th	34	15	7	12	52

Full league table

Reading - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
5	2	1	2	7	10

Full form table

Our home record v Reading

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
34	13	11	10	56	44

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
20/12/2003	League	Reading	0 - 3	Crystal Palace
15/03/2003	League	Reading	2 - 1	Crystal Palace
26/11/2002	League	Crystal Palace	0 - 1	Reading
23/04/1997	League	Crystal Palace	3 - 2	Reading
21/09/1996	League	Reading	1 - 6	Crystal Palace

All time results

One to watch

Shaun Goater

Reading's top scorer

Shaun Goater - 12 goals

Reading's bad boy

Steven Sidwell - 8 0

Palace old boys

John Salako 03/11/86 - 03/08/95, Ricky Newman 22/01/88 - 19/07/95

They say that there are some players that are ‘too good’ for this division. If any players live up to this rather ridiculous statement then surely Shaun Goater is one of them.

Having signed for Reading from Manchester City at the start of the season, Shaun Goater has made an immediate impact in the Reading team, banging in 12 goals for them which has helped lift Reading up into a strong 8th position.

He is a powerful, strong, quick forward who has an accurate shot and is everything we wanted from Akinbiyi/Adebola last season but didn’t get. He is a national hero in his home country Bermuda and has lived up to his hero status in many different categories other than football.

He is a good man as well as a good footballer and will definitely be one to watch.

Last meeting

Reading 0-3 Palace

Saturday December 20 2003

Reading: Hahnemann, Shorey, Brown, Mackie (Murray, 63), Ingimarsson, Salako (Morgan, 75), Sidwell, Hughes, Watson, Savage, Forster

Subs not used: Harper, Newman, Young

Palace: Myhre, Butterfield, Popovic, Edwards, Borrowdale, Hughes (Derry, 88), Riihilahti, Gray, Routledge, Shipperley, Johnson

Subs not used: Fleming, Freedman, Berthelin, Black

Goals: Johnson 40, Routledge 43, Johnson 90