COVENTRY CITY v CRYSTAL PALACE

Welcome to the Ricoh for Cov vs Palace in the Championship. We have just had a minutes silence for the war dead, and now Palace are about to kick-off.

Palace make the one change from the 1-1 draw against Sheff Weds at home last week, with Sean Scannell coming in for Shefki Kuqi. Kuqi makes the bench, with Calvin Andrew the player to miss out.

Clinton Morrison was given a good reception by the travelling Palace fans, and when he walked down the line of Palace players before the match all of Warnock's men gave him a pat on the back.

5 mins - Ifill gets forward and shoots - but it's high and wide. If Palace are to win this game, Ifill, Beattie and Scannell need to get forward as a unit and put pressure on the Cov back four.

8 mins - GOAL!!!!! Beattie is fouled 30 yards out, Watson floats the free-kick in and McCarthy heads down at the far post. The ball beats Westwood the Coventry keeper, hits the inside of the post and rolls back along the goal line. Clint Hill is alert to smash the ball over the line and claim the goal, even though McCarthy wheeled away celebrating.

"Clinton is a Palace fan" sing the travelling Palace contingent. "Coleman give us a wave" is then trotted out and the Welsh wonder ignores the pleas.

17 min - Beattie fouled again, Derry takes a quick free kick that finds Scannell in the box, but the Cov defenders block his shot. Cov fans are starting to get on their backs of their players already.

20 min - Clinton wins a foul off McCarthy. Danny Fox takes it quickly, tries to find Elliott Ward but the defender can't trap the ball and it goes off for a goal-kick

23 min - Fox takes the second of two Cov corners - Clint Hill clears. Mifsud went down in the box when the first corner was won, slight shout of "penalty" from a few players but nothing given

24 min - Ifill beats Osbourne and closes in on goal - but he cuts inside when in the penalty area and his route to goal is blocked. He should have played in Scannell or Beattie.

25 min - Leon Best warms Speroni's hands from the edge of the area.

26 min - Palace apply some good pressure on the Cov goal. Ifill has been at the heart of matters, crossing the ball in low. But the Eagles can't make it tell

32 min - Watson is played in by Ifill, and sandwiched in between Gunnarsson and Ward he goes down in the box. Watson thinks it is a pen, but his protests are waved away by referee Mr C Oliver

35 min - Cov apply some pressure, win another corner and Fox fires it over. The ball pings about, and Ward is at the far post and he heads goalwards. It loops over Speroni but Matt Lawrence clears off the line to keep Palace in it.

39 min - Lawrence wins a corner after Oster plays him in following good work from Ifill. Watson takes, Beattie peels off the near posts and flicks on but no-one can convert.

41 min - Tabb's shot is deflected, Speroni is stranded and Mifsud plays in Morrison. Morrison puts the ball in the back of the net, but the lino's flag is up and the goal is ruled out.

42 min - Trickery from Scannell wins Palace a corner. Watson takes, it comes back out to him, he plays in Fonte but his first touch is poor and the opportunity is gone.

45 min + 1 Beattie wins a corner. Watson takes. Finds Fonte at the far post unmarked but he can't control. The ref then blows for half time and Palace are worth their lead.

Cov kick off the second half. No changes for either side.

52 mins - A great run by Beattie is halted on the edge of the box. Ben Watson is over the ball, as is Oster.

53 min GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watson smashes the ball hard and low, through the wall and into the back of the net as Westwood stands motionless in the Cov goal. All three points should now be Palace's as Cov don't look like they can get back into the match.

Palace are 2-0 up and cruising. We've just also been given the crowd - 16,883. Of that, 781 are in the away end.

60 min - Cov Sub - Jay Tabb OFF, Robbie Simpson ON

62 min - Cov Sub - Leon Best OFF (booed off by his own fans), Freddy Eastwood ON

63 min - Cov corner, Fox takes but the refs blows his whistle for a Cov foul

Jose Fonte is taking Speroni's kicks

67 min - McCarthy does a brilliant job of tracking Freddy Eastwood then timing his tackle to perfection in the box just as the Cov striker is about to square the ball.

71 min - Gunnarsson YELLOW CARD for a tackle on Shaun Derry

78 min - Mifsud is played in on goal by Scott Dann but he snatches at his shot and drags it wide.

PALACE SUB - Scannell OFF, Nick Carle ON - Warnock is shutting up shop

83 min - Cov Sub - Beuzelin OFF, Michael Doyle ON

84 min - Mifsud heads over with the goal at his mercy following a great cross from the right from Robbie Simpson. It's the cue for a number of Cov fans to get up and leave.

90 min - Oster brings down Michael Doyle just outside the box. Simpson takes a good free-kick but it's just over. All the Cov fans start to leave now as 3 mins of injury time get played.

92 mins - Carle gets forward, shoots, keeper spills and the ball is hacked behind. Palace SUB - Oster OFF, Ertl ON. Palace then take a short corner but mess it up trying to run the clock down.

All over. Palace are worthy 2-0 winners, as Cov have been second best all day. It was a good performance by Palace, but Cov played their part by being particularly average.

Join us for Cardiff City, away, next Saturday at 3pm GMT