9:48am Wednesday 10th March 2010
By Sam Murley
CRYSTAL Palace manager Paul Hart still believes his side are good enough to survive the drop, despite slumping to his first defeat in charge against Bristol City at Selhurst Park last night.
In a game of limited chances for either side, a stunning Chris Iwelumo volley 12 minutes from time was enough to settle the tie giving the Robins all three points and their first away win of 2010.
The result leaves Palace hovering above the relegation on goal difference, although Hart believes his side are strong enough to bounce back despite the lacklustre performance.
He said: “As good as we were Saturday, I thought we were equally as bad tonight.
“We looked a bit weary, which is understandable with what we have had to put up with and what we have gone through, but what we do know is they have it well within them to bounce back.
“The difficulty of being down there makes good teams look ordinary at times.
“It is the pressure that you don’t really want.
“However, I look at the people I am working with and they are strong and resilient.
“They are honest and when you have those sorts of qualities, you can move mountains.”
The game looked destined for a goalless draw before Iwelumo struck and although Hart was left to rue a lack of chances, the boss had to concede it just wasn’t his side’s night.
He added: “After 20 minutes I thought it was going to be like that. We were grateful coming in at half time 0-0.
“We livened up in the second half and had a bit more going forward but it was difficult for us. We had a great chance from the free-kick with Alan Lee and a couple of other scrambles and you can never fault their effort.
“Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say it just was not our night.”
With seven weeks left of the season, Hart is quickly realising how bare his squad and resources really are.
But having succeeded in adversity before at Portsmouth, the Eagles chief is staying focused on his objectives of keeping Palace in the Championship.
He said: “I just said this is us. There is nothing coming in and there is definitely no one going out so it is me, you, that, that and that is what we have got.
“In a season when you get thrown a points deduction like that, it is a real kick in the nether regions and we have had to cope with it, which is not always easy, even for strong characters like them.
“We have got seven weeks left and three go down, so the idea is that if you finish fourth bottom you have achieved your aim. We have to recover properly and rest and get ready for the next game.”
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