Now fit and raring to go, Connor Wickham has said his first opportunity to face off against his former club Sunderland can’t come quick enough.
Having joined us over the summer, the striker has been out of action since August with a calf problem, and he told Crystal Palace FC that this is one game in particular he’s relishing.
‘It`s the one team I`ve wanted to play against since I came to Palace. I`ll be seeing some friendly faces again, but once I`ve crossed the line it`s me against them and there`s no friends on a football pitch.’
Having come on as a sub against Liverpool for his first game since our away win at Chelsea back at the beginning of the campaign, Wickham went on to thank the club, his team mates and the fans for their support of him whilst he worked his way back to full fitness as he certainly appreciated it – and Alan Pardew’s words of encouragement during his spell out.
‘I`ve managed to come to a club working with a manager who believes in me and the boys believe in me too. I don`t have a point to prove because I know what I can do, and I`ll show the people here what I can do. I feel my game`s developed massively at Palace and I`m a million times a happier player when I`m playing down the middle. When I`m working with two natural wide men in Wilf and Yannick, then there`s Puncheon, Yohan and Joel Ledley who are going to run beyond me, I don`t have to worry about what goes on behind me because they`re going to be there and working their socks off.’
Being back fit and likely to start against Sunderland given the injury issues we have, he went on to say it’s his shirt to lose now and he’s going to fight to keep it.
‘The position is mine to lose now and hopefully I`ll bring something to the team that`s been missing for a couple of months, someone to hold the ball up, create more chances and score more goals and get more points.’
One thing that won’t bother him on the day though is the reception he gets from his former fans.
‘The reaction from fans doesn`t bother me, it`s part and parcel of the game and you learn to ignore it. At Palace we`ve got a set of fans who back us through thick and thin. Selhurst Park is a horrible place to play if you`re an away player.’
Ending by talking about how he’s settled at the club, he went on to say.
‘I`m now around all my friends and family and it`s made a massive difference in my self-confidence. I`ve managed to settle and I feel I`m at home being down south again. I`ve got my friends and family around me and wake up in the morning looking forward to coming to work and that`s the most important thing. I`m motivated to put all my effort into Palace and I`ve got the right manager who speaks to me every day as well as the coaches who have been fantastic with me. I`m in the perfect set-up to get the best out of myself.’
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