February 2 2006

Wayne Andrews

In a relatively short time Wayne Andrews has gone from being the Eagles fifth choice striker to being the club's most effective winger, by Neil McSteen.

Switching the ex-Colchester man to the wing has been a master stroke by Iain Dowie as Andrews' powerful and direct running plus his underrated crossing ability, are the perfect hallmarks for an effective winger.

So when it come to the crunch for these past big games against Reading and Southampton why has Andrews been left on the bench?

Dowie will argue that Tom Soares is better defensively and could perhaps provide more cover for Fitz Hall who is playing in an unfamiliar role at right back.

But surely playing the leaders at home calls for positive measures and I'm sure the Reading left back would rather play against Soares than Andrews.

Not taking anything away from Soares, who by nature is a central midfielder who has the potential to turn into the complete midfielder, but Andrews offers something unpredictable and above all pace - every defenders nightmare.

But at least it gives the Palace boss options, something he didn't have in abundance in that position at the start of the season.

Andrews is new to that role and is already excelling, perhaps if he is given a longer run he can get better and become a vital weapon for the Eagles.

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