February 17 2010

Sean Scannell

Crystal Palace slipped to one place off the relegation zone with a 3-1 home defeat to Reading.

Only a superior goal difference over Ipswich keeps Palace out of the bottom three after they were hit with a 10-point deduction for going into administration.

The Eagles were quick into the ascendancy as Royals keeper Adam Federici made a superb fifth minute block to keep out Darren Ambrose's volley from a Neil Danns cross.

Federici saved from Danns, while Calvin Andrew diverted a free header over the bar as Palace looked in control.

But it was Reading who took the lead in the 23rd minute when Jimmy Kebe's cross was volleyed into the ground by Simon Church and bounced over Julian Speroni.

The Palace keeper made an excellent block to deny Church when the Reading player was one-on-one with the Argentine.

Palace boss Neil Warnock brought on Alan Lee for the second half and Ambrose was again thwarted by Federici.

But the Royals scored again in the 47th minute after Brynjar Gunnarsson's cross was headed on by Palace's Nick Carle for Kebe to slot home.

Church hit the post before Palace pulled a goal back through sub Sean Scannell who nodded in Ambrose's corner on 55 minutes.

But Reading made sure of the points as Church made it 3-1 with nine minutes left from Matt Mills' pass.

Palace: Speroni, Clyne, Hill, Butterfield, Davis, Ambrose, Derry, Danns (Scannell 43), Carle (N'Diaye 63), Ertl, Andrew (Lee 46).

Not Used: Manns, Hills, Lawrence, Djilali.

Reading: Federici, Griffin, Khizanishvili, Mills, Bertrand,McAnuff, Gunnarsson, Howard (Sigurdsson 76), Karacan, Kebe, Church (Robson-Kanu 90).

Not Used: Hamer, Cisse, Rasiak, Pearce, Thorvaldsson.

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