With Palace's play-off hopes now in tatters, Trevor Francis wants his side to "keep believing" and finish as high as possible in Division One this season.

Following the last gasp defeat at Reading, the Eagles lie in 13th twelve points behind sixth place Wolves with a game in hand. Francis now concedes it is "highly unlikely" his side will make the play-offs.

He told the Croydon Guardian: "It is highly unlikely now that we will get into the play-offs, but while it is mathematically possible we will continue believing that there is a chance.

"I want to finish in the highest possible position. If we can't finish in the top six, which is still possible, I want to finish seventh."

Chairman Simon Jordan has stated all season that a play-off spot is a "minimum requirement" for this expensively assembled squad, so failure to reach the top six or at least improve on last season's tenth position is widely expected to lead to Francis' departure.

But the Plymouth-born manager insists his own future is not under consideration with ten games to go.

He said: "With 30 points to play for it's not something you want to think about.

"The chairman and myself have had plenty of discussions throughout the season and that has never been discussed."

Whether Francis' cup successes this season, knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup before losing to Leeds, and reaching the Worthington Cup quarter finals, will be enough to persuade Jordan to give him another season remains to be seen.

But in a season where Palace have been ravaged by long and short-term injury problems that have seen eight operations, captain Curtis Fleming, number one keeper Matt Clarke and Ade Akinbiyi confined to the treatment room, Francis would be unfortunate not to be given a chance to build on

considerable progress made.

His five summer cut-price signings, Andrew Johnson, Darren Powell, Dele Adebola, Danny Butterfield and Shaun Derry have all proved astute acquisitions, and wins against Brighton, Millwall and Liverpool have finally won the fans round after a difficult start.

With ten games to go the current injury list tells the story of Palace's trying season.

Cedric Berthelin, Steve Thomson, Tony Popovic, Powell and Noel Whelan all picked up injuries in the Reading game. Akinbiyi and Danny Granville picked up knocks in training last week, while Curtis Fleming, and Matt Clarke are both out for the rest of the season.

Remaining fixtures

Walsall (h) 3pm Sat Mar 22

Brighton (a) 7.45pm Tue Mar 25

Sheff Utd (h) 3pm Sat Apr 5

Watford (h) 8pm Tue April 8

Grimsby (a) 3pm Sat Apr 12

Rotherham (h) 3pm Sat Apr 19

Millwal (a) 3pm Mon Apr 21

Stoke (h) 3pm Sat Apr 25

Gillingham (a) 1.30pm Sun May 4

March 19, 2003 11:30