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Lawrence rescues a point for Palace
Neil Warnock hailed his side's battling spirit after Matt Lawrence's last-minute strike earned Crystal Palace a 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
It was Lawrence's first goal for the club after Ben Watson had earlier scored a stunning free-kick, and it stretched Palace's unbeaten run to six.
Although Wednesday's pacy strike force caused the Eagles defence problems all afternoon, Warnock was happy his side kept going.
He said: "We never give up, that's how we are. We work hard and it was nice that we kept going, especially with the crowd asking me what the score was in the last few minutes it was extra special.
"We've not created as much for many matches but we've never been as poor defensively for many matches so there are plusses and minuses really.
"The lads at the back have got away with murder but as I said in the dressing room they've more than held their own this season so it's a team game really."
Palace were unlucky not to take the lead as early as the sixth minute when Clinton Morrison volleyed Tom Soares' cross onto the underside bar, before Sean McAllister rattled the woodwork at the other end.
Soares then just failed to connect with Morrison's cross and Watson drove over before Wednesday took the lead on 18 minutes thanks to a flowing counter-attack.
Former Eagle loanee Franck Songo'o, impressive throughout, robbed Watson on the edge of the Wednesday box and set Deon Burton off down the right. His pass to Ben Sahar in the middle put the youngster through on goal and he finished calmly past Julian Speroni.
Lee Grant made a brilliant save to deny Clint Hill's close ranger header soon after and Burton missed an easy header to extend Wednesday's lead, before Watson equalised with a sensational free-kick.
The midfielder was blocked 25-yards-out by Richard Wood and stepped up to curl the ball into the top right-hand corner.
Speroni had to be alert after the break to deny Wade Small as Wednesday upped their game, with Small again going close from Graham Kavanagh's through ball.
The pacy winger got the goal Wednesday deserved on 67 minutes though, when Burton played him in behind Lawrence down the left and he finished from an acute angle.
Sahar should have put Wednesday out of sight but twice missed good chances, before Palace laid siege to the home goal in injury-time.
Sub Jeff Hughes shot just wide and Neil Danns' goalbound effort was inadvertently blocked on the line by Morrison before the equaliser came.
Hughes's cross came out to Lawrence and he hooked the ball over Grant's head from eight yards to earn Palace a point and keep their play-off hopes alive.
12:37am Monday 24th March 2008
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