Watson saves Eagles’ blushes

Ben Watson rescued Crystal Palace with an injury time equaliser to salvage a precious point against bitter South London rivals Millwall on Saturday.

The Lions, rock bottom of the Championship, thought they had done enough to steal an unlikely 1-0 win at Selhurst Park for the second time in three seasons until Watson steered home Dougie Freedman's long ball to keep the Eagles in touch with the promotion chasing pack.

After losing so comprehensively away to Luton the previous week, boss Iain Dowie wielded the axe to his starting 11. Darren Ward was dropped in favour of fit-again club captain Tony Popovic, with Clinton Morrison warming the subs bench to make way for Andrew Johnson. Michael Hughes and Tom Soares were sacrificed to allow Wayne Andrews in on the right wing and Mikele Leigertwood into his holding role in midfield. Julian Speroni kept his place in goal from the midweek Carling Cup defeat at Middlesbrough.

For the most part, Dowie's tinkering worked. Palace dominated the game in terms of possession but crucially they lacked a cutting edge up front, even with England international Johnson making his first league start since Reading away in September.

Palace should have scored in the 10th minute when Wayne Andrews was fouled by Tony Craig on the right wing. Watson whipped in a free kick that Dougie Freedman flicked on only for Emerson Boyce to fail to connect at the far post.

After 24 minutes Millwall managed a decent assault on Speroni's goal with the Argentinean forced to tip over a header from Marvin Elliot.

With half an hour gone it was Doyle's turn for heroics, first saving at Johnson's feet after Freedman had played him in with a delightful reverse pass and then pushing a 25-yard dipping volley from Freedman on to his crossbar after it looked certain the Scot would break the deadlock.

But on 41 minutes all of Palace's hard work was undone. A rash challenge from Leigertwood allowed Jody Morris to float in a free kick from where Ben May ghosted in to head home unchallenged.

After the break, Palace huffed and puffed in search of an equaliser, but found it hard to find space in the crowded midfield which Millwall flooded.

The Lions should have wrapped the game up on 66 minutes when former Palace favourite Bruce Dyer found himself onside only for his powerful header to crash against the upright.

However, Palace managed to land a point with virtually the last kick of the game and save some face in the only south London derby that matters.