The pre-season campaign took the squad to the Irish Republic at the weekend and a game against Waterford United a fortnight before the big kick off against Spurs.
The Palace team that began the game included a first start of pre-season for Kagoshi Dikgacoi in what looked like a possible starting eleven for the Premier League with the exception of captain Mile Jedinak.
The game was one sided as perhaps expected but a run out all the same for much of squad that made the trip. Having said that, it took Palace until late in the first half to take the lead. A good passing moving was finished off by Stephen Dobbie at the near post.
There were the usual number of changes made at the break including Owen Garvan and Kevin Phillips. Palace doubled their lead with fourteen minutes remaining, a great one two between Dobbie and Gayle and it was the striker that finished the move to score his first goal in a Palace shirt. Late in the game Ibra Sekajja took advantage of an error in the home defence to make it three and it wasn’t long until the fourth from Swede Osman Sow volleying home. No doubt doing his prospects of a contract at the club no harm at all. The result sent the 300 strong travelling Palace faithful happy who valiantly made the trip over to Waterford.
Palace starting XI: Speroni, Ward, Delaney, Gabbidon, Moxey, Thomas, Dikgacoi, O’Keefe, Williams, Gayle, Dobbie
