December 8, 2000 10:22: HAVING changed his mind after planning changes last week, it is possible but unlikely Watford FC manager Graham Taylor will change his mind again for Saturday's game against Crystal Palace.

That means Steve Palmer, Heidar Helguson and Allan Smart are pushing hard for a place.

Helguson has been dropped, after lost confidence began to erode the all-action content of his play.

While things were not happening for him, he seemed to lose the enthusiasm to make them happen, but, after sub-standard performances from Mooney, Noel-Williams and Wooter at Bolton and they were not alone in this respect the likes of Palmer, Helguson and Smart will come into the reckoning.

Palmer, incidentally, started his 102-game run at Bolton, where the sequence ended on Sunday.

Taylor said" Palace are the in-form side, and they are giving it a go.

Alan Smith has had some harsh and hurtful things to say a few weeks back, and there has been a been a response and they are climbing up that table."

"Our players have had a harsh lesson: if you are not first to the ball, you will have you work cut out.

"We have suffered four defeats on the trot. You cannot talk about promotion and relegation at this stage. No one ever heard me talking about promotion when we were unbeaten for 15 games, and no one will hear me saying we are out of the race now.

"We have 27 to play. We are in there with a good shout. We are looking to get back on the winning path as soon as we can, with every one of us applying ourselves properly."

Crystal Palace, who have no injury worries, are unbeaten in the last seven league games and two in the cup.

In Clinton Morrison, who has hit eight in seven outings, they have a striker very much on his game.