Poor Palace crash to Forest defeat (From Your Local Guardian)

Poor Palace crash to Forest defeat

5:17pm Saturday 31st March 2012 in Eagles News By Graham Moody, Sports Reporter

Radoslaw Majewski’s second half hat-trick saw Crystal Palace fall to their biggest home defeat of the season as Nottingham Forest beat them 3-0 at Selhurst Park.

The Pole blasted home two superb goals and added a third that was all too simple against a Palace side that looked flat and concentrating on their summer break to the Algarve.

Only after they were 3-0 down did they show signs of life as Jermaine Easter had a goal ruled out for offside and then toe-poked against the post – but by then most Eagles fans were long gone.

A line-up that had Wilfried Zaha and Sean Scannell on the wings promised a display of pace and trickery that was never forthcoming as too often they tried to pass their way through a congested midfield and lost possession.

Dean Blackstock could have give Forest an early lead as the strugglers started the better, but, having found space between makeshift centre back Dean Moxey and left back Jonathan Parr, he only headed at Julian Speorni.

Palace produced little of note until the 34th minute when Paddy McCarthy went the direct route and found Owen Garvan’s run and, although the Irishman took the ball down brilliantly with his left foot, he dragged the shot wide with his right.

Apart from a few brief glimmers of skill from Scannell and Zaha, there was very little to remember from the opening 45 minutes.

Majewski began his one man show on 53 minutes as Forest broke from a Palace free kick and the Pole twisted Nathaniel Clyne inside out beforte smashing the ball past Speroni at his neat post.

At double substitution saw Chris Martin and Jonathan Williams replace David Wright and Scannell but things only got worse for Palace.

Majewski was found by McLeary 20 yards out and then given the freedom of Selhurst to shoot past Speroni.

He added a simple third on 82 minutes when Chris Gunter got to the byline and cut it back to him so he could side step inside Moxey and curl into the far corner.

That prompted a mass exodus of Eagles fans who failed to see Easter tap home Zaha’s shot only to be flagged offside and then hit the post.

The final whistle was greeted by boos as any faint hopes of a late play-off push evaporated.