ALAN BALL reckons it is payback time for Crystal Palace tomorrow - but not the sort to help their financial problems.

The Pompey boss will deliver one of the easiest pre-match talks of his managerial career for the visit of Crystal Palace.

He will simply remind his players of what happened a month ago to fire them up for the visit of financially-troubled Palace.

"We need to beat Palace," says Ball. "What happened there a month ago still sticks in my throat."

The 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park hurt and stung and if it hasn't quite been the watershed result many thought it would be, at least it has given Ball and his players a focus to hand Palace back some of the treatment they dished out out a month ago.

Ball said harsh things about his players that day, and most of them took it on board. Now they have a chance to exorcise the ghost of that result - providing they can sharpen up their act.

Pompey were poor up front at Grimsby in midweek and Ball said: "We weren't ruthless enough in their box. We tried to put the ball in the net too nicely. We've worked hard on our finishing this week because that was all that let us down at Grimsby."

Striker Lee Bradbury, who will be lining up against his former club, wasn't exempt from Ball's criticism of his front men.

Ball's options have increased with the addition of three players to that on duty on the Humber although that does not include any additions to the strike force.

Jeff Peron and Mike Panopoulos are added to the squad after lengthy injury absences while Thomas Thogersen is also available after missing the long midweek trek to be with his sick wife.

"That's three people back and things are looking a little better," said Ball who will still be without striker Rory Allen although news after his ankle surgery is encouraging. "It was only a minor thing, something that needed sorting out. When he came back after his injury lay-off he was still feeling pain so he went in to have one or two things corrected," said Ball.

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