Palace 1 - 0 Watford

Sat Aug 16 2003 - League

Ten-man Palace won their second game of the season beating WATFORD by a goal to nil.

Match Stats

Ground: Selhurst Park (Attendance: 15333)

Palace: Clarke, Powell, Popovic, Smith, Derry (Riihilahti, 78), Hughes (sent off 85), Watson, Butterfield, Freedman, Shipperley, Johnson (Routledge, 45)

Subs not used: Symons, Berthelin, Black

Booking: Hughes

Goal: Shipperley 14

Watford: Chamberlain, Doyley (Fitzgerald, 68), Cox, Gayle, Robinson, Ardley, Mahon, Hyde (Hand, 74), Helguson, Dyer, Webber (Cook, 68)

Subs not used: Dyche, Lee

Bookings: Ardley , Hyde

Referee: P Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent)

It was Neil Shipperley who scored the only goal of the match on 14 minutes, heading home Danny Butterfield's cross.

Six minutes later, a bock on the goal-line prevented Watford's Marcus Gayle from scoring an equlaiser from a corner.

Watford controlled much of the first period without putting the Palace defence under any pressure. Former Eagle Bruce Dyer had their only noteworthy effort wide.

Wayne Routledge came on for Andrew Johnson at half-time and the move nearly paid off as Routledge fired inches wide of the Watford goal.

Hornets keeper Alec Chamberlain had to be alert to save a Ben Watson curler from the edge of the box.

In the 83rd minute, debutant Michael Hughes was sent off after two bookable offences in 90 seconds for rash challenges on Lee Cook and Gavin Mahon.

Palace have now seen four players sent off in the first three matches of the season.

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