Crystal Palace came into their second away league match of the season against another one of the unbeaten sides from the early weeks of the Championship and Peter Taylor was able to name captain Carl Fletcher for the first time this season following his pre-season injury.

Ipswich recorded an identical opening day victory as Palace and started this second home match of the season with some good intelligent passing, which we have come to expect from a Town side over the years.

Much of the play came down Palace's left hand side and this is where the first real danger to Julian Speroni came from. Jonathan Walters was the provider with a good cross and Alan Lee headed just wide.

Clinton Morrison is just one away from his 100th goal in Palace colours and was looking to get to that landmark with any opportunites that fell but couldn't make anything of his first one of the afternoon which his saw his effort go over the bar from a shot from just inside the box.

It was not long before another chance came his way at the far post, after good work from Matt Lawrence, who provided the cross from the right, but the striker saw his shot go wide of Neil Alexander's right hand post.

On the half hour mark, Palace had started to make more of an impact into the game and were unfortunate not to break the deadlock on 34 minutes. Fletcher won a free kick just outside the box after a foul by Alex Bruce and Stuart Green saw his excellent free kick turned around the post by Alexander.

Speroni got the first caution of the afternoon when he came out of his box to try and get the ball from Lee who was racing towards goal. The forward had taken the ball to the corner but as he tried to cross it the 'keeper blocked it with his arm for the ball to go out for a corner. Even though the home crowd were calling for a dismissal the referee Andy D'Urso showed just a yellow card.

He was in action again just minutes later as Jim Magilton's side looked to break the deadlock before half time as he saved low down from Gary Roberts but could only watch as Pablo Counago's injury time shot flashed past his far post.

The start of the second half could have seen the visitors being awarded a spot kick for handball. As the ball broke in the box off Bruce, following a challenge by Mark Kennedy the ball appeared to hit the hand of Dan Harding but nothing was given by D'Urso.

Both sides showed good attacking intentions at the start of the second half in difficult conditions under the soaring Suffolk temperatures
but the game struggled to flow as the lunchtime crowd would have liked.

The first real goalscoring chances of the half for both sides happened just after the hour mark. Lee saw a shot from just inside the box saved by Speroni and at the other end James Scowcroft's dipping volley went just over the bar with Alexander beaten.

Taylor made his first change of the afternoon from the bench with Shefki Kuqi replacing Green on 64 minutes.

The home fans' patience paid off as the breakthrough finally came on 72 minutes.  A cross from the left hand side by Gary Roberts was headed home by Jonathan Walters giving Speroni no chance in the Palace goal.

Immediately further changes were made as Dougie Freedman replaced Morrison and Jeff Hughes made his Palace league debut at the expense of Fletcher.

Palace were enjoying plenty of posession in the latter stages of the game but needed to create more chances if they were to take anything from the match. Hughes saw his shot from inside the box blocked and cleared by the defender as the time began to run out.

The visitors' final corner of the game from Kennedy saw Scowcroft head just wide at the far post as the game went into four minutes of added time.

Two good saves from Speroni prevented the lead being extended when he denied Billy Clarke and then blocked the rebound from Danny Haynes.

The unbeaten run came to an end as D'Urso called a halt to proceedings and that second half header seperates both sides in a game which Palace will feel disappointed to be ending with nothing to take back to south London.

Ipswich: Alexander, Wright, De Vos, Bruce, Harding, Walters,Miller, Garvan, Roberts (Haynes 73), Lee (Legwinski 79),Counago (Clarke 87).

Subs Not Used: Supple, Casement.

Crystal Palace:  Speroni, Lawrence, Hudson, Cort, Craig, Soares,Fletcher (Freedman 73), Green (Kuqi 64), Kennedy,Morrison (Hughes 73), Scowcroft.

Subs Not Used: Flinders, Butterfield.

Booked: Speroni, Soares.

Att: 19,382    Referee : Andy D'Urso (Essex).