City: Simonsen, Zakuani, Fortune, Higginbotham, Dickinson, Lawrence, Hoefkens, Eustace, Hendrie (Martin, 81), Parkin, Fuller (Pericard, 88). Subs Not Used: Hoult, Paterson, Wilkinson.

Crystal Palace: Kiraly, Lawrence, Hudson, Cort, Borrowdale, Ifill (Grabban, 67) Fletcher, Kennedy (Scowcroft, 78), Soares (Martin, 67), Morrison, Kuqi. Subs Not Used: Ward, Speroni.

What a great Easter!  Two first half goals in the space of six minutes gave a brave and patched-up City side another three points which hoisted them to seventh place in the Championship, just one point behind the last play-off position.

Jon Parkin and Ricardo Fuller scored in quick succession before Palace soon halved the deficit through a Gab Zakuanai own-goal.

With their opponents willing to play an open game, the second-half tested the fans' nerves. Chances were created and spurned at both ends and the only surprise was that there were no further goals.

It was a performance that was gutsy rather than graceful, energetic rather than elegant, but these were the qualities that were needed on a tense afternoon when there was so much at stake for a Potters side that again had to overcome the handicap of being forced to field players out of their normal positions because of a plethora of injuries and Andy Griffin's suspension.

Tony Pulis again had to re-shuffle his already depleted pack of players after Dominic Matteo and Mamady Sidibe were added to what was a long injury list before the vital holiday weekend.

With Darel Russell and Salif Diao still ruled out, Carl Hoefkens took over a central midfield role with Lee Hendrie returning to the starting eleven on the left.

On a grey, damp afternoon, a quiet start matched the weather before City brightened up the atmosphere after seven minutes when a good passing move was halted by a last ditch tackle on Hoefkens as he bore in on goal.

Palace passed the ball about pleasantly without offering too much of a threat on goal before the meanest defence in the Championship surprisingly retreated to allow a shot on goal which was turned away for a Palace corner after fourteen minutes.

This encouraged the visitors as a still low-key City continued to struggle to find the right tempo before Ricardo Fuller advanced to put in a low right-foot shot from twenty yards which Gabor Kiraly did well to save.

This pepped things up and after twenty minutes the Potters took the lead with a piece of individual brilliance from Jon Parkin.

When Hendrie played the ball to him from the left with his back to goal, the striker, showing both skill and awareness, chested the ball down before swivelling quickly and hitting an unstoppable right foot shot from the edge of the box past Kiraly's despairing dive for his third goal in as many matches.

It was just what was needed to relieve the nerves and the palpable tension, but Palace almost hit back immediately when Eustace had to clear almost off the line after centre-back Leon Cort, whose strength in the air from set-pieces is well-known, had put in a header from a corner.

After surviving another corner, the Potters doubled their lead after twenty-six minutes when Carl Dickinson played the ball to Fuller on the left.  From the position which we have so often seen him take up in the past, he wriggled down the goal line between two defenders to hammer in a low shot which was deflected past Kiraly.

Two-nil was perhaps as flattering as it was welcome, but Palace pulled a goal back within a couple of minutes when another visitors' corner, their fourth, was met again by Cort, whose header was turned into the net by Gab Zakuani as the full-back dived in a vain attempt to clear.

City then conspired to give the ball away too often for comfort as Palace looked for an equaliser.

But as half-time approached, the Potters improved their passing to threaten the Eagles' goal with their first corner, taken by Hendrie after forty minutes, which flew across the face of the goal without finding a City head, and their second flag-kick fell to John Eustace who could not quite control the ball in time to put in a shot.

In time added on, a good passing movement down the right involving Parkin, Fuller and Lawrence freed Hendrie to put in an effort from twelve yards in the inside-left position, but his right-foot shot was brilliantly turned aside by Kiraly to keep his side's hopes alive.

The opening of the second period was marked by Palace's Morrisson missing a good chance for the Eagles as City started slowly.  A counter-attack by the Potters came to nothing as Hendrie, who seemed to be not fully fit, failed with a curling shot.

City seemed tense as they struggled for fluency, and when Fuller was put through by Parkin after fifty-five minutes he uncharacteristically hesitated and left himself with too acute an angle from the right.

After an hour, both sides stepped up the pace after some disputed decisions, rousing the home crowd who were relieved to see the City goal survive after Palace squandered two chances in the same move, with Simonsen doing well to keep his goal intact.

Palace were throwing men forward and then replaced both their wingers in the attempt to increase their momentum further.

But it was the Palace goal which bore a charmed life after sixty-nine minutes when Liam Lawrence somehow managed to hook the ball over the bar from right on the line when he tried to apply the finishing touch to a Hendrie shot which was going in anyway.

A minute later, Fuller laid on a good chance for Parkin, but his strike partner's first touch let him down and the chance was gone.

A Mark Kennedy shot then flew over the bar as the game became stretched and both sides strained every sinew for the next goal

Palace threw on striker James Scrowcroft for midfielder Kennedy with twelve minutes to go as they switched to 4-3-3.

In what was now a stirring encounter, Parkin got first to a long ball from Carl Dickinson but flicked the ball past the post as well as Kiraly before Lee Martin replaced the brave Hendrie, who had been limping for some time.  His willingness to battle on epitomised City's spirit, and on another day, he could quite easily have had two goals as a reward for his determination.

City had their work cut out to repel the strengthened Palace attack but as nerves jangled Fuller almost put the issue beyond doubt in a breakaway before being replaced by Vincent Pericard with two minutes left

Five minutes of time added-on were hardly calculated to calm those of a nervous disposition, but City kept their heads to hold on for three priceless points and give themselves a welcome break  to get the walking wounded running again.

The squad, in the words of the old cliché, can now just concentrate on their own performances and forget their rivals.

If the last two matches are anything to go by, they are certainly up for the fight, not only in terms of guts, but also in terms of current form.

Grip tight for a white-knuckle ride!

Bob James