PALACE's unbeaten home record stretched to eight games with a routine win over Paul Sturrock's men, who belied their status as the Championship's basement boys with some fluent football.

But Palace were always the more likely victors, and could have added to the goals given to them by Clinton Morrison and Emmerson Boyce had Jobi McAnuff, in an otherwise impressive display, remembered to wear his shooting boots.

Iain Dowie handed a first start in a Palace shirt to Marco Reich, whose inclusion meant a shift infield for youngster Tom Soares to his more natural position in central midfield, where he was paired with Ben Watson.

Their combined age of 39 is equivalent to that of West Ham's veteran striker Teddy Sheringham, making Soares and Watson the youngest central midfield partnership in the division by some distance.

At the other end of the age spectrum the club's longest-serving player Dougie Freedman, 31, was handed his first start of the season in attack alongside Saturday's goalscorer Morrison.

The only other change from the side which drew 1-1 with Preston saw Fitz Hall return to the side having completed his one-match suspension.

The re-introduction of the team captain prompted a defensive reshuffle, with Danny Butterfield retaining his position on the right and Boyce reverting to left-back at the expense of Gary Borrowdale, who dropped to the bench.

For the visitors Paul Sturrock named an unchanged side following the Owls' battling 2-2 draw with Luton last Friday.

There were places on the bench, however, for former Liverpool winger Richie Partridge and erstwhile Plymouth defender Graham Coughlan, who had recovered from the virus which kept him out of the game at Kenilworth Road.

The first chance of the game fell on five minutes to the Owls' on-loan starlet Chris Eagles, who stabbed wide after Darren Ward's timely interception had rolled invitingly into his path.

Two minutes later the Eagles carved out their first opening, Soares testing David Lucas in the Wednesday goal with a low shot.

But it was undoubtedly the visitors who made the brighter start, emphasised by Chris Brunt's rasping free-kick which Gabor Kiraly gathered at the second time of asking.

The Selhurst faithful might have expected one-way traffic given Wednesday's precarious position, but perhaps not in the direction of Gabor's goal.

Some sloppy passing would have done little to ease Dowie's angst, although some good link-up work between Freedman and Morrison would have given the Palace manager cause for optimism.

Sure enough the two combined to open the scoring on 15 minutes, Freedman nodding down the impressive Reich's centre to leave Morrison with the simplest of tasks from all of three yards out.

The lead was perhaps undeserved, but that would have been of little concern to the Republic of Ireland international, who took his season's tally to four - just two behind the injured Andy Johnson.

But the visitors refused to be cowed, and almost drew level in the 23rd minute through former Wigan frontman David Graham, whose rising left-footed half-volley had Kiraly scrambling frantically across his goal-line.

McAnuff had been unusually quiet until this point, but suddenly burst into life with a turn and shot from the edge of the box which warmed Lucas' hands on a brisk evening in south London.

Lucas was again called into action barely 60 seconds later, when Dougie Freedman's through ball released Soares, but the England under-21 international narrowly failed to open his account for the season.

On the half-hour mark a defensive mix-up almost handed the Owls a route back into the game, but Kiraly was relieved to see Eagles' shot fly over his bar via a deflection.

At the other end Soares' radar was again amiss as he ballooned a shot into the Whitehorse Lane end.

Just before half-time Morrison had a good chance to make it two, but when his shot found Lucas' hands the fans were forced to settled for a one goal advantage.

The first activity of the second period saw Eagles strike a 30-yard free-kick goalwards, but Kiraly was again equal to the task.

On 52 minutes the best move of the match culminated in Soares feeding Morrison in the Wednesday box, but the striker's hesitation allowed Owls' centre-back Graeme Lee to make a goal-saving interception.

Five minutes later Palace did establish a two goal advantage through the most unlikely of sources, Boyce inadvertently directing McAnuff's cross past Lucas for his first goal of the season.

The Eagles seemed content to sit on their lead, and almost paid the price when substitute Lee Bullen was put through, but the Scot's shot belied his status as a right-back.

At the other end fellow Scot Freedman unselfishly tried to play in strike partner Morrison, when a shot of goal might have brought more reward.

A third Palace goal would effectively have killed the contest but Wednesday nearly breathed life into the game by pulling one back, Lee Peacock narrowly guiding Eagles' cross wide.

On 75 minutes Peacock again rose highest in the Palace area and this time found the target, but his effort was thwarted by Kiraly and the linesman's flag.

The realisation Wednesday were still in the game prompted a response from Palace, with first McAnuff and then Watson going close.

It was Watson's last act of the evening, as the 20-year-old was replaced by the evergreen Michael Hughes on 80 minutes.

Wednesday responded by throwing another forward on in the frame of Barry Orr, but almost immediately nearly fell three goals in arrears when Freedman set up McAnuff, whose volley from ten yards out should have found the net rather than the Holmesdale Road end.

In the dying embers Wayne Andrews and Gary Borrowdale were introduced as the clock ran down on a solid, if unspectacular Palace victory.

Line-ups:

Palace (4-4-2): Kiraly; Butterfield, Ward, Hall, Boyce; Reich (Borrowdale 90), Soares, Watson (Hughes 80), McAnuff; Freedman (Andrews 85), Morrison.

Subs not used: Speroni, Hudson.

Scorers: Morrison (16), Boyce (58).

Booked: Hall (86), McAnuff (90)

Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-2): Lucas; Simek (Bullen 61), Lee, Wood, Hills; Eagles, Whelan, O' Brien, Brunt (Partridge 70); Graham (Corr 83), Peacock.

Subs not used: Coughlan, Rocastle.

Referee: L Robert

Attendance: 17,413.