Tony Mowbray was relying on adrenaline to carry Ipswich Town through last night's match at Selhurst Park against crisis club Crystal Palace.

The Ipswich player-coach, who played a key role in the 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, believed two games in the space of three days will take its toll on the players.

He said before last night's game: "It's not ideal to play back-to-back matches. It will be adrenaline that keeps us going and there is nothing like it to help you through a game.

"It's a far from ideal situation but the spirit in the squad is so high we expect to make it four wins on the spin."

Manager George Burley named an unchanged squad from the one which travelled to the City Ground and that meant there was no place for Richard Naylor.

But Burley was hopeful the six-goal striker - who last week had cortisone injections in his knees in a bid to recover full fitness - will return in next week's FA Cup third round tie against Southampton.

Last night Town - who were looking to close the gap on Division One leaders Huddersfield to just two points - were concentrating on Steve Coppell's cash-strapped Palace side.

The south Londoners have been beset by financial problems and their owner Mark Goldberg declared himself bankrupt in the High Court on Monday.

On the pitch the Eagles have performed consistently. Coppell's side had won their last three matches on home soil without conceding a goal and Burley was expecting a rough ride.

He said before the game: "Stevie Coppell is doing a fantastic job under very difficult circumstances. There are a lot of problems behind the scenes but it hasn't stopped them performing on the pitch.

"Palace have done very well at Selhurst Park."

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