South London vandals have defaced Crystal Palace's team bus after believing it belonged to their Premier League relegation rivals, Middlesbrough.

The coach, which was parked at a hotel nearby Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park stadium, was spray-painted with the words 'Crystal Palace FC' in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The vandals sprayed the club's name in red, white and blue paint across the sides and rear of the coach. Despite the damage, Sam Allardyce's team still used the vehicle ahead of their bottom of the table clash with Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.

Crystal Palace's assistant head groundsman, Dean Waters, posted a tweet condemning the vandals and revealing their error.