Dover Athletic 0-4 Crystal Palace

• Pardew takes charge of Palace for the first time

• Defender Dann scores twice in the first half

• Forwards Gayle and Doyle wrap up the win

Alan Pardew avoided an FA Cup upset in his first game as Crystal Palace boss as the Premier League side beat non-league Dover to reach the fourth round.

Defender Scott Dann scored a first-half double, volleying in the opener before heading in a second.

Conference side Dover could not compete with Palace, failing to register a single shot on target.

Instead, a Dwight Gayle strike and Kevin Doyle's close-range goal secured Palace a first win since November.

Dover, 86 places below Palace in the league ladder, went into the game on the back of a 16-game unbeaten run and that form, coupled with an already impressive FA Cup campaign in which they had not conceded a goal in four games, meant there was more than a hint of a potential upset before kick-off.

However, Pardew - appointed on Saturday following his departure from Newcastle - was keen to avoid any embarrassment and fielded a strong side that included Wilfried Zaha, Dwight Gayle and Glenn Murray in a physical and pacey attack. The trio caused Dover's back five problems from the outset.

Murray saw a close-range header from Zaha batted away by Dover goalkeeper Andy Rafferty, before nodding another effort just wide.

But the pressure quickly became too much for Dover as Palace deservedly took the lead inside 10 minutes. Zaha delivered another cross into the area and home defender Tom Bonner succeeded only in helping it on to Dann, who volleyed home.

Having been set up to defend, Dover's forays into the visitors' half were few and far between and Eagles keeper Wayne Hennessey was a virtual spectator throughout.

That allowed Palace to keep up the pressure and a second goal arrived before the break when Dann was allowed to ghost into the area unmarked and head in a corner.

The two-goal cushion effectively ended the Kent side's hopes and the second half played out as a forgettable affair.

However, Palace took advantage of the hosts' tiring players to add further gloss to the scoreline, Gayle firing in a low third before substitute Doyle was allowed to tap in Jerome Thomas's late cross.

Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew:

"We applied ourselves well. We ticked all the attitude boxes you want to tick. We needed to show a bit of exuberance and a bit of class and the players used that instruction really well. We never looked in trouble really and at any level that is very difficult to achieve.

"We have really good honest players, their attitude, even before I arrived, was spot on, we just need to open our wings a bit and show we can play.

"I know the heartbeat of the team, I know how it works. The chairman and I are looking to improve things on all levels but the honesty of the players will hopefully see us through. This is Crystal Palace's day and I am pleased for the club. The fans showed one of the reasons why I have come here because their support was phenomenal."

Alan Pardew took charge of his first game as Crystal Palace boss at Dover

Conference side Dover had not lost in their 16 previous games before the visit of Crystal Palace

Scott Dann scored two goals in a game for the first time in his career