Neil Warnock is not getting carried away despite recording his first win as Crystal Palace boss in the 2-1 victory at Colchester.
Palace boss pleased with first win as Palace manager
Neil Warnock is not getting carried away despite recording his first win as Crystal Palace boss in the 2-1 victory at Colchester.
Clinton Morrison gave the visitors a sixth-minute lead and Colchester were dealt a further blow less then two minutes later when Pat Baldwin was sent off for a professional foul.
Johnnie Jackson managed to level for the Us midway through the second half but Morrison won it for the Eagles with 16 minutes left after heading in Shaun Derry's delivery.
It was Palace's first Coca-Cola Championship win since September, after three successive draws under Warnock, who knows he still has much to do.
"It's pleasing. It's difficult at Colchester and everything you get here you deserve," he said.
Blame
"You know that you have been in a game. One swallow doesn't make a summer but I saw the fans reaction and you would have thought by that we had won promotion."
Colchester manager Geraint Williams said his side only have themselves to blame for the defeat.
"It's very annoying because we wanted to start bright and positive but we didn't and we paid the price for it," he said.
"From an innocuous long ball we had a man sent off but I have no complaints about it.
"We were left with a mountain to climb from being sloppy at the back."
Palace took an early lead when hesitation in the Colchester defence allowed Morrison to sweep home James Scowcroft's low cross from close range.
And things went from bad to worse for the home side two minutes later when their back four were caught square and Baldwin brought down Paul Ifill as he ran through on goal.
Sacrifice
Referee Paul Taylor ruled the defender to be the last man and brandished a red card, prompting Colchester to sacrifice midfielder Kem Izzet in favour of a defender Matthew Connelly.
Only a good save from goalkeeper Dean Gerken prevented Scowcroft from doubling Palace's lead soon after.
But as the half rolled on Colchester slowly found their tempo despite their numerical disadvantage.
Kevin Lisbie headed Mark Yeates' centre on to the crossbar and then forced two excellent saves in quick succession from Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni.
Colchester battled away and got their reward midway through the second half when Jackson finished well from a tight angle from Yeates's through-ball.
But they were level for less than five minutes.
After sustained pressure from the Eagles, Morrison headed in to clinch the visitors' first league win in more than two months.
