Bruce let down by wasteful Palace

Crystal Palace manager Steve Bruce today told his players they must bounce back with a good performance against Wimbledon on Saturday after their Worthington Cup exit.

Palace were knocked out of the competition when they scored only once in a penalty shoot-out with Sheffield Wednesday after the game had finished 2-2 at the end of extra-time.

Bruce said: "Football is all about how you pick yourselves up after a defeat as disappointing as the one we suffered at Hillsborough and we must try to quickly bounce back."

Palace, who were Worthington Cup semi-finalists last season, dominated Wednesday in much the same manner they had when trouncing them 4-1 in their recent First Division encounter at Selhurt Park. However, Wednesday twice came from behind, initially in normal time, then in the extra period, before clinching a place in the last 16.

Bruce said: "I suppose I always expected a backlash after beating them 4-1. It appeared remarkably easy for us last night. We were never under any serious pressure but we needed that second goal to give us a more comfortable cushion.

"There were certainly enough chances to have done that. So many that we could easily have won two football matches. On another day our strikers might have had a hatful."

Tiredness also played a part, according to the Palace manager. "The longer the game went on the more the international fixtures went against us," Bruce added, referring to last weekend's World Cup qualifiers.