Holloway: We need to strengthen in-depth to sustain challenge (From Croydon Guardian)

Palace boss will dip into the transfer market to strengthen squad

2:25pm Wednesday 12th December 2012 in Eagles News

By Anthony Hay

Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway says the Eagles will need to dip into the transfer market if they are to sustain their Championship form.

After a last-gasp Blackpool equaliser denied Palace all three points at Selhurst Park on Saturday, Holloway bemoaned the lack of pressure on certain players to perform.

Owen Garvan and Glenn Murray, with his 18th goal of the season, had Palace 2-1 ahead, only for Holloway’s former employers to strike back.

Holloway said: “I’m learning more about the team each day, and I know that to sustain this momentum we’ve got to get stronger.

“With Jonathan Williams coming back in the next couple of weeks, that will give me another option. He’s a wonderful little footballer.

“I want to do everything I can to keep this momentum going forward and test everybody on that pitch.

“One or two of them are playing week-in, week-out and they have no pressure behind them. We have got that in certain areas but we haven’t got it everywhere. I would like to add a bit of meat to that come January.”

On the Blackpool result, Holloway, who takes his side to Birmingham this weekend, said: “It’s real disappointing because we looked a shadow of how we’ve played recently.

“We almost wasted the first 45 minutes. We managed to get in at half-time and have a little word, and in the second half the team created lots more, that was more like us.

“But overall it is disappointing and we have dropped two points there.”

Holloway is without skipper Mile Jedinak for the trip to the Midlands after he picked up his fifth yellow card against Blackpool.