Burley concedes defeat in striker search

The Eagles are down to the bare bones in terms of forwards going into the derby clash with Millwall this weekend, a problem not helped by James Vaughan being suspended.

Burley had been hoping to draft in another top flight loanee ahead of the Lions game but has been forced to concede defeat after the search came to nothing.

The manager said: “We made a couple of enquiries about bringing in a striker but it hasn’t come about.

“That is the area where we’ve certainly had a number of injuries and James Vaughan has been suspended.

“Pablo Counago has had a small tear on his hamstring, although he is progressing well and we will keep our fingers crossed there.

“That has left us a bit short and we are going to go with what we’ve got for the weekend.

“Jon Obika has been getting treatment at Tottenham, he came back and then he got injured again after a couple of days and then went back again.

“He is in full training and had 65 minutes on Tuesday, so he is getting closer but is not 100 per cent fit.”

Burley added: “It has been a good break in as far as trying to get people a bit closer to fitness.

“In the last game I think we had about 10 players out so we are hopefully moving in the right direction.

“Through time, certainly in the next two or three weeks, hopefully most of them will be fit, so the break has given us a little bit of respite.”

Despite Palace’s lowly position in the table, Burley is looking forward to what promises to be a cracking game against the Lions in front of a sell-out Selhurst crowd.

He said: “It will be a great atmosphere in a derby game with all to play for.

“It will be very competitive and hopefully we can learn from our experience against QPR where we played well, battled back but conceded in injury time.

“That was a big blow but we’ve got to be focused for the full 90, or even 95 minutes, and hopefully get the right result.

“Kenny Jackett has done tremendously well.

“I’ve known Kenny for many years and he had a great reputation as a coach at Watford and he is doing a great job at Millwall.

“They’ve had a fantastic start and are a very hard working team. The boy Morison has come in up front and done a terrific job for them.

“When you come to a club there are always derby games and Millwall was always a game people talked about here.

“You can see the response with what the attendance is expected to be.

“Millwall have sold all of their tickets and it is almost going to be a capacity crowd, so it will certainly be a great atmosphere on the day.”

Burley is no stranger to derby games with almost two decades of managerial experience under his belt.

He said: “I haven’t counted all the games but I’ve had a number of derbies over my career spanning 19 years so I couldn’t actually tell you the stats.

“They are games you enjoy, they are pressure games and games where you want to get the right result.

“The fans are all living in the same community and working in the same office.

“A lot of the players live locally around this area from Millwall and Crystal Palace, so they are games which are very important not just to the fans but the players and everybody involved as well.”

The injury crisis in SE25 has forced Burley to rely heavily on youngsters in recent weeks and despite the poor results, Burley says morale within the squad remains high.

“You’ve got to keep their spirits up and belief,” he explained.

“We haven’t had the results which we were looking for but I think overall the performances have been good.

“A lot of the young players who have come in did very well, so it is a new experience for them and we’ve also got some good senior pros who can help them.

“It is a case of keep going, don’t let our heads go down, keep playing the way you believe, keep working hard and earning.

“I’m a firm believer that if you do that the results will change.

“It is a long season and a marathon in the Championship, not a sprint.

“There are a lot of games to be played and we are certainly staying positive.”