Dowie admits Palace are the underdogs

Iain Dowie today insisted that Crystal Palace will be the underdogs in their play-off semi-final against Sunderland.

Palace beat Mick McCarthy's team 3-0 at Selhurst Park last month but manager Dowie believes that result will have little bearing on the outcome of the first leg at Selhurst Park on Friday.

"We are in a decent run of form but Sunderland are an excellent side with quality players," said Dowie. "They finished third and so they are the third best side in the league. Over the course of the season they have been better than we have." Although Dowie was keen to talk up his opponents ahead of the play-off double header, he praised his own players' remarkable run in the second half of the season.

"Their desire and commitment since I've been here has been monumental," said Dowie, who took over at Selhurst Park in December when the Eagles were fourth from bottom. "I was targeting a top-half finish but never envisaged in my wildest dreams that we would get in the playoffs." Dowie urged his players to forget about yesterday's defeat at Coventry. He admitted the dressing room was "very subdued" until news of Brian Deane's last-minute equaliser for West Ham at Wigan changed the mood.

"We would like to have got the points and done it ourselves but the players deserve enormous credit for what they have done," said Dowie.

But Palace will have to play far better than they did in the first half at Highfield Road yesterday. Coventry led through goals from Mo Konjic and Michael Doyle. Substitute Dougie Freedman pulled one back after the break.