Gary Doherty was left to rue a rare chance that got away as Crystal Palace wrecked City's home record this season.The stand-in skipper hasn't hit the back of the net for the Canaries for almost a year - the winner against Hull - but came close to breaking the deadlock just after half-time against Palace only to see a header go a foot over the bar.

Gary Doherty was left to rue a rare chance that got away as Crystal Palace wrecked City's home record this season.

The stand-in skipper hasn't hit the back of the net for the Canaries for almost a year - the winner against Hull - but came close to breaking the deadlock just after half-time against Palace only to see a header go a foot over the bar.

Had Doherty scored it might just have changed the course of the game; instead, palace took more of a stranglehold and forced City on the back foot before finally nicking a winner in injury time.

“Crofty gets in the most crosses in the league, according to the stats, and he has a good standard of cross as well and we should really be scoring more off them, that is something we have to redress,” he said. “We should have - I should have. I was up there, I headed it, but it was not a great header and I'm disappointed with it.”

A City chance was a rarity - almost as much of a collector's item as a home defeat.

“You don't like to admit that, but we have not really created as many chances as we usually do at home so that's disappointing and something we have to work on - creating chances and getting more shots off,” he said.

“You want confidence when you come here and I do always feel like we are going to win when we come here, but they have turned us over today and we have had a terrible week really - and that is something we have got to get our heads down and turn round.”

The terrible week began with defeat at Coventry, although surrendering a 3-1 lead to drop a point in injury time at Southend was probably more difficult to accept -two late goals in consecutive games could prove vital in the long run.

“It has cost us four points now and whether it's concentration levels I'm not sure,” added Doherty. “But we can't take anything away from them, they really pounded us at set-pieces. They have got some big boys, but we were holding firm right until the last second of the game and that's disappointing.

“They have the two big front men, Kuqi and Scowcroft, and the two big centre-halves, and Mark Kennedy's delivery is excellent, so it was tough for us. But we were holding out, clearing things and battling, but they just got the goal that probably their pressure deserved.”

Doherty is now looking forward to City putting a bad week behind them with a Carling Cup win at Rotherham tomorrow night.

“It has been disastrous, really,” said Doherty. “The start we had was really encouraging, but the two games, at Coventry and Southend, were awfully disappointing and it was the final nail in the coffin today.

“We just have to pick ourselves up - we have Rotherham and then another away game, at Plymouth, so we have got to get going.”

Doherty is likely to keep the armband tomorrow in Adam Drury's absence, but said the change of personnel down the left, where Paul McVeigh stood in for the injured Darren Huckerby, didn't have too much effect.

“Boyle, for his first ever league appearance had a really strong game, fair play to him,” said Doherty. “And Paul McVeigh did really well at Southend and did alright today.”