Football: LATE ACE ANDY FIRES UP PALACE

ANDY JOHNSON fired Crystal Palace firmly into play-off contention with a late, late penalty to beat Walsall 1-0 at Selhurst Park.

The top scorer in the First Division took his tally to 27 for the season with just minutes left, to the delight of manager Iain Dowie.

The win takes Palace up to fifth place as they travel to lowly Coventry just needing a draw to be assured a play-off place.

Walsall caretaker boss Paul Merson is still looking for his first win and now faces a mammoth task to stay up after this heartbreaking defeat.

Palace dominated from the start with their excellent passing and movement leaving the Walsall players chasing shadows.

Wayne Routledge and Julian Gray looked a constant threat on either wing as they ran at the Walsall defence and linked up with Johnson and Neil Shipperley up front.

Both strikers had a number of chances to put the home side ahead but Walsall played three central defenders to try to neutralise their threat.

In the first half Shipperley came closest to breaking the deadlock when Butterfield's curling free-kick hit the wall and carried on into the box, but Jim Walker tipped his looping header over.

From the corner Shipperley again out-jumped the defence and headed the ball goalwards, but again Walker denied him with a superb save low down to his left and flicked the ball around the post.

Palace twice had appeals for a penalty turned down by referee Dave Pugh as Walsall rode their luck and defended in numbers, playing Lee Bradbury as a lone striker.

Johnson, in particular, thought that he had a strong case after he wriggled through the defence with the ball and went down in a tangle of legs under pressure from Neil Emblem and Paul Ritchie.

Palace continued their pressure after the break but could not find a way through.

With just 10 minutes to go Routledge skipped past Zigor Aranalde and crossed for Shipperley, but again Walker saved.

Palace continued to pile on the pressure and Shipperley went close with a header.

Iain Dowie brought on Tommy Black and Dougie Freedman towards the end to try to snatch the winner and Black it was who provided a decent 85th-minute chance.

Black picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box and skipped past a couple of defenders before being dumped on the ground by Paul Ritchie.

Johnson then stepped up and blasted the resultant penalty goalwards.

The impressive Walker guessed right and parried the ball but, unfortunately for him, only to Johnson who smashed home the rebound before wheeling away in delight.MAN OF THE MATCH ANDY JOHNSON

A constant threat

CRYSTAL PALACE: Vaesen 6, Granville 7, Popovic 7, Leigterwood 7, Butterfield 7, Gray 8, Riihilahti 7, Derry 6, Routledge 8, JOHNSON 9, Shipperley 8.

WALSALL: Walker 8, Aranalde 6, Roper 6, Ritchie 5, Bazeley 6, Wright 6, Andrews 6, Osborn 6, Wrack 6, Emblen 6, Bradbury 7.

MANAGERS: Dowie 8; Merson 7.

REFEREE: D Pugh 7.

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