CRYSTAL PALACE...3 SUNDERLAND...2: Crystal Palace have spent six gruelling years in Nationwide League exile but, after the tragicomedy of Attilio Lombardo, the profligacy of Terry Venables and the unfulfilled promise of Steve Bruce they have hope anew.
No manager since has been as inspirational as Iain Dowie, whose innovative approach to coaching has already reaped ample rewards. Dowie is realistic enough to know that this job is not even half done, but this is the right track.
Palace's players exhibited all the graft and craft that have transformed their season under Dowie, with Wayne Gray and Andy Johnson troubling Sunderland's ageing centre-back pairing of Phil Babb and Gary Breen.
After a lifeless first half, the game burst into life. The Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy replaced Jason McAteer during the break after his repeated fouls produced a caution. But even though his departure was calculated, it was damaging. The Republic of Ireland international had provided little going forward for the visitors, but his tackling menace had often stopped Gray in the first period.
His replacement, Sean Thornton, did add inspiration to the right side, and it was his cross to spark the confusion that earned Sunderland their goal. Carl Robinson beat Tony Popovic to the ball and the Australian's clumsy lunge left the referee with no choice but to award a penalty, which Marcus Stewart dispatched.
Palace were back within seconds though. Danny Butterfield's sizzling shot from 30 yards took a huge deflection from Mikele Liegertwood's heel, finding its way into the net via a desperate Poom's glove.
But soon Sunderland's fans were singing "we are going up" after Kevin Kyle profited from a goalmouth scramble to ram home the leveller.
Within seconds Johnson had escaped Breen to meet Gray's cross with a shot that bounced over the hapless Poom for a lead Palace will happily take to Wearside on Monday night.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Vaesen; Granville, Leigertwood, Popovic, Butterfield, Gray, Riihilahti, Hughes (Derry 83), Routledge, Johnson, Shipperley (Powell 89). Subs not used: Freedman, Black, Berthelin. Booked: Hughes, Gray. Goals: Shipperley 52, Butterfield 64, Johnson 87.
SUNDERLAND: Poom; McCartney, Babb, Breen, Williams (Bjorklund 69), Robinson, Whitley, McAteer (Thornton 46), Oster, Kyle, Stewart (Tommy Smith 77). Subs not used: Clark, Myhre. Booked: McAteer, Kyle, Oster, Breen. Goals: Stewart 51 pen, Kyle 85.
Referee: R Beeby (Northamptonshire).
