Shattered by the stalemate

Channel Four could have saved themselves a whopping £100,000 in prize money by relaying footage of this game into the 'laboratory' where desperate members of the public were trying to stave off sleep for a week.

Bedtime stories read by a grandma and actually watching paint dry were just a few of the stunts employed to try and tempt the baggy-eyed contestants to doze off and forfeit the cash.

A live link-up with Selhurst Park might just have been enough to tip them over the edge!

Thankfully, Burnley's defence was never caught napping. Back to back clean sheets for only the second time this season and, more tellingly, the first stalemate in a league game involving the Clarets for 54 games stretching back to November 2002, means 2004 continues to show the shoots of a revival.

Even Clarets boss Stan Ternent expressed his surprise that, after registering only a couple of meaningful efforts all afternoon, his side dug in to cause similar frustration in the Palace ranks to chalk up a big, fat juicy 'zero' against the home side in the First Division for the first time since August's shut-out at Gillingham.

The latter has, in a nutshell, has been Burnley's Achilles Heel all season. Indeed, Ternent made it a recent mantra to celebrate more clean sheets in the coming year.

And after trying every permutation at his disposal to try and end the sorry statistic, maybe the Clarets chief has at last struck gold in the form of David May and Mark McGregor.

Fate first brought the partnership together at Sunderland in late November following Arthur Gnohere's ban - and they responded by battening down the hatches to frustrate the Black Cats.

They were re-united at Mansfield last week to face one of the country's top scoring teams - and breezed through the game almost telepathically.

And for the third time, they came together at one of Stan's old stomping grounds to leave their manager pleased as Punch with the point that gives cause for optimism in the months ahead.

McGregor bore all the hallmarks of a Gladiator. Unshaven and with a closely cropped barnet, he attacked anything that moved with instant admonishment and not a glint of fear in his eyes.

But he was led into battle by the magnificent May. Selhurst Park may be a crumbling coliseum, but whenever Palace picked a fight, the former Manchester United foot soldier was the nearest thing Burnley had to old Russell Crowe himself!

Defensively, this was a step back in time for May as he smelt danger with every passing second, while almost slaying the home side with a towering header at the other end that forced the one save of note from Thomas Myhre.

And by the time referee Alan Wiley called time, May deserved a big thumbs up from every one of the 772 Clarets fans following a quite stunning all-round display.

If only Myhre had not leapt to Palace's rescue on the hour mark, May would have been a deserving match winner. That header from Robbie Blake's free kick had goal written all over it until the Norwegian stopper leapt to his right to fingertip the ball for a corner.

Myhre had also denied the Clarets earlier as they made a bright start. Blake jinked infield and his slide-rule ball sent Luke Chadwick racing in on goal, only to be denied by the keeper's lunge.

Blake orchestrated everything in a mesmerising opening spell and then set Tony Grant racing clear with a peach of a pass from deep midfield, that the midfielder just failed to control.

Chadwick then shot tamely at Myhre as the grounded Eagles continued to live dangerously.

But top scorer Andy Johnson, whose form has been hotter than a Pukka Pie in recent weeks, caused the first flutters in the Burnley defence on the half hour.

First the 15-goal hitman rose to meet Julian Gray's cross and headed inches wide of Brian Jensen's left hand post.

Then May, who by now was winning every header, made a terrific block from Johnson's nuclear strike as Palace got going.

Alarm bells were ringing again moments later as dangerman Johnson showed Lee Roche a clean pair of heels and cut the ball back for former Blackburn trialist Julian Gray, who blazed over from 12 yards with only Jensen to beat.

Neil Shipperley - incredibly without a goal in three months - spurned another golden chance to give Palace the lead 10 minutes into the second half with a lacklustre shot typical of the game.

And it was therefore no surprise when, on the hour, he was hauled off to be replaced by Dougie Freedman, whose hat-trick destroyed the Clarets on the opening day.

He made an almost instant impact, driving forward and playing a neat one-two with Johnson only to be denied by a wonderfully timed last-ditch tackle from overworked right back Roche

And as the hosts worked up a head of steam, flame-haired midfielder Ben Watson hammered a 30-yard drive straight into Jensen's midriff.

You sensed an unlikely stalemate was entering everyone's thoughts, but Blake tried to force the issue with a couple of long range howitzers that Myhre dealt with, first low at his near post and then pawing away another effort arrowing for the top corner.

And Burnley's resolve not to let things slip was typified in a barnstorming finale. First Mo Camara made a fantastic clearance under pressure at the far post after jet-heeled Gray got his cross in from the left for the umpteenth time.

And if that was hearts-in-mouths time, then Jensen's 88th minute save from Granville was the ultimate point saver. It was that kind of day really. A day for defences and in particular, a May day

CRYSTAL PALACE 0

BURNLEY 0

Selhurst Park Att: 15,276