The reserves were beaten for the first time in 2004 on Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of a controversial second-half penalty decision.
Palace fielded a slightly less experienced side to the one that recently overwhelmed QPR, but one notable addition to the team was Ben Watson. The midfielder has now recovered from his groin operation and will soon be pressing for a recall to the first-team squad.
After a lively opening half-hour, Palace conceded the first of two penalties when Nathan Simpson brought down Millwall’s Barry Cogan. The spot-kick was coolly converted by John Sutton to give the Lions the lead. However Palace replied within minutes, with Tommy Black capping a fine move with a smart shot to ensure parity at half-time.
Palace’s second-half performance was far less convincing and things got worse for the Eagles when they conceded another penalty. The decision was a generous one for Millwall, with Cogan hitting the deck after the merest hint of contact from Gary Borrowdale. Sutton again converted, and the 2-1 scoreline proved too much for Palace to overhaul.
Palace XI:
Lance Cronin, Jamie Smith, Gary Borrowdale, Sam Togwell (James Gibson ‘66), Kit Symons (c), Luke Beckford, Gavin Heeroo, Ben Watson, Gary Prigent, Tommy Black, Nathan Simpson