Crystal Palace Reserves stretched their unbeaten run to six games in the Totesport.com Combination League with a 2-0 win against Crawley Town Reserves.

Goals in either half from striker Nathaniel Pinney sealed the win in a one sided affair at the Broadfield Stadium.

It took until the 15th minute for the first decent chance to arrive for either side and it fell to Palace when Michael Abnett, deployed in a central midfield role rather his regular right back spot, charged forward to the edge of the box and was brought down by a crude challenge.

Referee Dermot Gallagher awarded the free kick and trialist Yaser Kasim stepped up to curl it into the arms of the Crawley goalkeeper.

Five minutes later Ashlee James was scrambling across his goal to see a snap shot from a Crawley midfielder on the edge of the box just wide of his right hand post.

The deadlock was broken on 22 minutes when trialist right back Mitchell Nelson launched a throw in to the box which was flicked on by Kieron Cadogan. The ball was allowed to run right across the six yard box to Pinney at the back post for a simple tap in.

It should have been all square four minutes later though when the home striker managed to work his way past Nelson on the left before setting up the supporting midfielder who smashed over the bar from 10 yards out.

The game sparked into life in the following minutes as Palace pushed on for the second, and they almost got it in fine style on 29 minutes when some fantastic one touch passing just needed the finish from Pinney. However, the ball was on his left foot and his shot from the edge of the box was comfortable for the goalkeeper.

Moments later Jack Holland was found free inside the box from a corner but he directed his header wide of the far post, while Abnett then finished off a mazey run from inside Crawley's half with a rising strike over the bar from 25 yards.

Some more good football on 35 minutes again came close to extending the Eagles lead but Kasim could not get enough purchase on his header after Cadogan had whipped in a powerful cross from the right.

With two minutes remaining of the half Cadogan was unfortunate not to see his clever play bring greater reward when his left footed strike was comfortably saved by the goalkeeper. The forward had done well after receiving a pass from the centre of midfield from Kasim to skip past one defender, drop his shoulder to avoid the second before shooting from just inside the box.

The second half, like the first, was void of much action for the opening stages with Kieran Djilali's curling free kick from 20 yards out that ran wide of the right post on 54 minutes interrupting an otherwise chanceless opening.

In fact the next chance to follow was Palace's second goal and that arrived on 69 minutes. A throw in from inside his own half by trialist Ronayne Marsh-Brown found Djilali who was able to turn and run at the Crawley defence.

The winger invited the tackle before slipping in Pinney who shrugged off his marker and then opened up his body to calmly pass the ball past the keeper and into the far corner.

Djilali was then architect for Palace's next chance when he chased down a ball to the byline before squaring up his marker and using some neat trickery to get past him.

Spotting the run of Pinney to the near post he played the ball low to his feet and the striker's initial flicked effort was blocked. It fell back to him and he quickly got the ball onto his left foot and smashed it into the midriff of the goalkeeper.

Jepson then made the change of bringing off Kasim and replacing him with Charlie Holness, and the substitute almost had an instant effect when he was found free on the edge of the box by a clever first time pass from Pinney. But instead of taking a touch he decided to hit it first time and it was at an easy height for the keeper to make the save. 

Palace closed out the final stages of the half to extend their lead to six points at the top of the Totesport.com Combination League. The Eagles next travel to face Brighton Reserves in a top of the table clash on Tuesday 27th April, kick off 7:00pm.

Crystal Palace :- 1. Ashlee James; 2. Mitchell Nelson; 3. Ronayne Marsh-Brown; 4. Michael Abnett; 5. Jerry Nnamani (Dan Pringle, 45); 6. James Comley; 7. Kieron Cadogan; 8. Jack Holland; 9. Nathaniel Pinney; 10. Yaser Kasim (Charlie Holness, 79); 11. Kieran Djilali