Half-time: Bristol City 1 Crystal Palace 0

As expected, Bristol City boss Gary Johnson retained the side which beat Watford 4-2 at Vicarage Road on Boxing Day and made one change to his substitutes, recalling fit-again centre-back Jamie McCombe to the bench in favour of loan signing Andy Webster.

And just as they did at Watford 48 hours earlier, the Robins forged an early lead courtesy of leading scorer Nicky Maynard.

A mere 90 seconds had elapsed when the £2.25m record signing from Crewe received the ball on the edge of the penalty area with his back to goal. There appeared no immediate danger to the Palace net until the 22-year-old striker controlled with his chest and turned his marker in one fluid movement before rifling in an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Julian Speroni could only admire the ball as it flew past him and into the left-hand corner of the goal.

Maynard was inches away from a ninth Championship strike in City colours when Stern John flicked the ball on and centre-back Jose Fonte made a hash of his attempted clearance after 13 minutes.

Sensing an opportunity to add to his tally, the livewire striker thrust out a boot, lifted the ball over the stranded Speroni and looked on in agony as his shot rolled inches wide of the target.

Palace struggled to operate as an attacking force until John Oster let fly with an angled shot which flashed just wide of Adriano Basso’s goal in the 28^th minute.

The best chances continued to materialise at the other end and Speroni was forced to save at the second attempt when John tried his luck from 15 yards out.

Ivan Sproule came closer still to a second goal, cutting inside from the left and unleashing a powerful right-footed shot which cannoned off the base of the post with Speroni beaten all ends up.

But while Bristol City led by just the one goal, Palace had hope and Lee Hill almost levelled matters two minutes before half-time, seizing upon McIndoe's weak clearance and sending his first-time shot against the angle of post and bar.