March 13, 2001 16:12: Crystal Palace boss Alan Smith sent out an SOS to the growing list of unavailable Eagles, after his side crashed to a 1-0 defeat in the battle of Selhurst Park.

Last Saturday, Wimbledons Patrick Agyemang scored the goal which condemned the Eagles to their fifth successive defeat.

Palace were once again without the injured Fan Zhiyi and Simon Rodger against their Selhurst Park tenants.

And transfer-listed midfielder Jamie Pollock and left-back Craig Harrison were suspended as the Eagles slumped to sixth from bottom in the table.

Afterwards the Palace boss insisted he needs a full squad to choose from if Palace are to move away from the Division One danger zone.

I accept this job is always going to be difficult but we went into the game without some of our most senior players, he said. Im confident that when everybody is fit we will not have such a problem but over the next few weeks we have to stick together and dig ourselves out of this.

Out of those last five defeats, three have been by the solitary goal and Smith believes his side can change narrow defeats into victories.

If we were getting mullered every week I could admit that wed been outplayed. But we arent, he said.

But nobody can tell me that was a fair 1-0 defeat because it wasnt. How we failed to take anything from the game is unbelievable.

Smith may have found Saturdays defeat unfathomable, but the way his side defended for Wimbledons winner was just as shocking.

Dons midfielder Neal Ardley raided down the Palace right after 21 minutes and played in a near-post cross which an unmarked Agyemang comfortably slid home.

And barely a minute later, Palaces marking did another disappearing act allowing Trond Andersen to rise unchallenged and head wide from eight yards out.

But the Eagles were unlucky not to equalise on two separate occasions in the first half.

After 24 minutes, a shot from Jamie Smith was flicked on by Dougie Freedman, and Dons keeper Kelvin Davis palmed the ball away from the feet of a predatory Clinton Morrison.

Nine minutes later, Smiths cross Davis stranded but Mikael Forrsells volley was blocked by some desperate Wimbledon defending.

Although the second half failed to produce wave after wave of Palace attacks, there was evidence the tide was turning for Smiths men.

Freedman headed against the post from Andrejs Rubins 57th minute corner.

And on 80 minutes Morrison, playing on the right wing to accommodate the front pairing of Forrsell and Freedman, touched Tommy Blacks raking pass into the path of the Scottish striker who blasted his shot against the legs of Davis.

Though the Eagles were unlucky not to equalise, fortune did not completely desert them. A dubious offside decision from referee Paul Taylor chalked off what would have been Agyemangs second strike after 58 minutes.

But Palace will need more than just luck if they are to end their miserable run when Fulham visit Selhurst next Saturday. Eagles boss Smith will be desperate to half his former employers promotion bandwagon. Fulham are 14 points clear at the top of Division One and beat Palace 3-1 at Craven Cottage in October.

By.Carl Gunaratnam