Charlie Oatway is on course to be a pain in the neck again for Crystal Palace.

The long-serving midfielder had one of his best matches for Albion in last month's shock 1-0 win at Selhurst Park.

Now Oatway is poised to face the Seagulls' arch rivals once more at Withdean on Sunday week after missing the last two matches with a neck injury.

Oatway was stretchered off in the first half of the home draw against Ipswich a fortnight ago.

Concerned medical staff feared at first a recurrence of the neck-related back injury which threatened Oatway's career last season.

Physio Malcolm Stuart said: "He stirred up some nerves in the fall that he took. What was worrying for us was that he suffered paralysis through his left arm.

"He saw the specialist that he saw before. We've had scans done and we are completely reassured there is no damage.

"The nerve has settled down, the stiffness is out, he has been training in the gym and I am sure he will be in the frame for the Palace game."

Fellow midfielder Richard Carpenter will not be fit until next month after aggravating a nagging foot tendon problem in the victory at Palace.

"He actually ruptured the tendon," said Stuart. "It's a very rare injury, one I've never dealt with before.

"We had to hunt high and low to find someone who had but it appears it was one of the better things he could have done. It will heal and give him no problems whatsoever.

"Unfortunately, it's driving Chippy absolutely mad. He's got to stay completely off it for two weeks, encased in a boot, and if anyone knows Chippy it's difficult to keep him grounded for two weeks.

"He will come out of the boot next week and then we can start building up his work. The initial thought was six weeks and there is no reason to think he will be any longer but he won't be ready for the Palace game."

Last night's home Reserve match against Millwall was postponed due to the unfit state of the Worthing pitch.

The postponed Sussex Senior Cup tie away to Ringmer will now be played on November 23.