Palace take on mission impossible

Last updated : 08 May 2006 By Nik Taylor

Palace travel to Vicarage Road on Tuesday night knowing they must carve out a place in the history books if they are to progress to Cardiff.

Since the inception of the play-offs, not team has ever come back from a three-goal first-leg deficit to win through to the next stage.

In fact, such scorelines are quite rare as play-off matches are normally tight, low-scoring affairs.

The Eagles 3-0 hammering at home to Watford was the heaviest defeat inflicted at this stage of the play-offs since Barnsley thumped Birmingham 4-0 at St Andrews in 1999/2000.

Birmingham went on to win the second leg at Barnsley – but the 2-1 scoreline was not nearly enough to take them through.

Palace's task is almost as tough – and it's reflected by the bookies who are now offering 50/1 against the Eagles going up this year.

If ever we needed Iain Dowie's famous bouncebackability - it's now.