Crystal Palace 1 Reading 3

The Championship game between Crystal Palace and Reading at Selhurst Park on Wednesday, February 17 2010.

Following Crystal Palace has become something of a lottery these days: administration, Cup giant-killings and now this capitulation against a competent but modest Reading side. Brendan Guilfoyle may have placed an advert for investors in the Financial Times, but perhaps the Racing Post would have been a better bet.

Any potential buyers at Selhurst Park would have been impressed by the home side’s speed out of the traps. They had four shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, all of them volleyed efforts. Darren Ambrose had the first and best of them, forcing a diving stop from Adam Federici with a volley from 18 yards, while Nick Carle and Neil Danns could also have scored early on.

But just as Crystal Palace sought to press home their advantage, they were undone by an error at the back. Clint Hill cleared the ball straight to Jimmy Kebe, who laid the ball off for former Palace player Jobi McAnuff to cross. Taking a leaf out of the Paul Scholes playbook, Simon Church did not connect perfectly with the volley at the far post, but it was sufficiently well-directed to beat Julian Speroni and bounce over the line.

Church should have punished Palace again when Brnyjar Gunnarsson’s threaded ball put him through, but the Welsh striker’s touch deserted him. Barely a minute into the second period, though, Reading did extend their lead.

Gunnarsson crossed from the right and Kebe slapped a low finish past Speroni.

Such was the timbre of the game, though, that Reading’s lead never felt impregnable, and substitute Sean Scannell pulled one back for Palace when he hurled a dreadlocked head at Ambrose’s corner from close range. On the touchline, Neil Warnock applauded, grimly relishing the fight.

The Palace manager continues to be linked with a move to QPR, but appears to be in no mood for throwing in the towel.

But though his side continued to press, an equaliser ultimately eluded them. Federici again denied Ambrose and Danny Butterfield from long-range.

Finally, clinically, Reading delivered the killer blow. McAnuff floated in a free-kick from the right, Matt Mills controlled and squared for Church, whose tap-in was simplicity itself.