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Your support makes all the difference.Peter Taylor, after watching his side fight back from a goal down to beat Southend United at Selhurst Park last night, praised his players' "great character" for passing a stern test from the Championship newcomers. Sterner examinations lie in wait for Taylor though, most notably, in the form of Simon Jordan, his expectant chairman and the man whom Taylor has promised a return to the Premiership.
"There is still a long way to go, and we still need to improve," Taylor said. "We have not done well enough in the two games we have played to think this is going to be a really good season. But we have showed great character and that is the most important thing and we go on from here."
Taylor was given a rapturous welcome on to the pitch, for this, his first home game in charge. The former Crystal Palace winger would have just been getting comfortable in the dug-out, however, when Southend, a side he also played for and managed, registered their first chance after just 22 seconds. Lee Bradbury stole ahead of the static home defence but his header from team-mate Mark Gower's flighted pass, flew agonisingly past Gabor Kiraly's post.
And three minutes from the break, they were made to pay. The highly coveted striker Freddy Eastwood turned his defensive marker effortlessly on the edge of the penalty area before slotting a low shot inside the post.
The game turned after half-time. Leon Cort, the former Southend defender, equalised for the home team after heading home Mark Kennedy's corner. And just three minutes later, the complexion of the game changed as a buoyant Palace took the lead. The substitute Dougie Freedman broke through the visitors' defence, seizing upon Jamie Scowcroft's through-ball before unleashing a powerful shot high into the goal. Crystal Palace had broken their opponents' resolve and, with some frayed nerves calmed, they extended their advantage as non-existent marking at another Kennedy corner allowed the defender Mark Hudson to head into the net on 61 minutes.
Crystal Palace (4-4-2): Kiraly; Granville, Hudson, Cort, Butterfield; Soares, Fletcher, Kennedy (Watson, 79), McAnuff; Macken (Freedman, h-t), Scowcroft. Substitutes not used: Flinders (gk), Lawrence, Morrison.
Southend United (4-4-2): Flahavan; Hammell, Francis, Prior, Barrett; Guttridge, Maher, Gower (Paynter, 75), Campbell-Ryce; Eastwood, Bradbury. Substitutes not used: Hunt, Collis (gk), Clarke, Lawson.
Referee: G Evetts (Hertfordshire).
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