A SOUTH American drake with an eye for an English bird has won the right to stay on a village pond – despite ruffling a few feathers.

Bertie, a Muscovy duck, is to be a permanent feature at Bradmore Green pond in Old Coulsdon, following fruitless attempts to rehome him.

The adult male is the leader of an amorous nine-strong flock of mallards, who were mysteriously dumped there last autumn with their wings clipped.

Valerie Dunmore, from Friends of Bradmore Green Pond, said her committee has now decided to let the group stay, despite their disruptive behaviour.

She said: "They were trying to mate with other birds – that has stopped a bit now, but they just harass them and they gang up on them.

"I would like the whole lot to go really because of the disruption to the local wildlife, but unless you can get them properly rehomed they might as well stay because they are settled in now.

"At the moment we are going to leave it and see how it goes – it gives an awful lot of pleasure to the children.

"It is going to be interesting because normally during the season we get the herons coming in."

Potential new owners were reluctant to house a male Muscovy, she added. It was not clear who left the ducks there or why.

She said: "I woke up in the morning and they were all there. Obviously someone had enough.

"It was quite surprising because I had no idea what it was and it is not in any of the bird books because it is not native.

"I call him Berlington Bertie because he has got yellow legs, like spats."

It is unlikely Bertie, whose species is native to Central and South America, will fly away by himself, even though his wings have grown.

"The males are not capable of flying any distance so he flies across the pond but that is about it really," Ms Dunmore said.

"During the winter the pond here can get icy and I was concerned because he could not fly away – he could not fly to safety."

The ducks are not the only animals that appear to have been left at the pond over the years.

"The terrapins swim under the water and take the young birds down by the legs," Ms Dunmore added.

"They move like greased lightening and they grow very big."

SHE was one of the world's most well-loved celebrities, her life and untimely death inspiring thousands of magazine articles, headlines and a forthcoming movie.

Now a Kenley ad man has created a stage musical celebrating the People's Princess.

Brian Watson and his collaborators – composer David Smart and Daily Mail ex-royal correspondent Richard Kay – have written a draft and songs for Diana: The Musical, which they are now touting to West End agents.

Mr Watson, of Densham Drive, said the show is based on publicly known episodes in her life and avoids controversial speculation.

"Each scene is based on something that actually happened, or we have used a bit of imagination as to what might have happened," he said.

"The most controversial it really gets is a scene of the Martin Bashir interview where she said 'there are three in this marriage'. The song that she sings is called Love Double-Crossed.

"Our aim is to have a musical that Prince Harry and Prince William would come and see and come out feeling elated and loving their mother more than they already do. We do not want to do something controversial."

Mr Watson, a creative director for TV adverts, said he believed Diana's tale had a universal resonance.

He said: "Every girl's dream is to become a princess and marry a prince and it has been like that for however many hundreds of years because of the way fairy tales have portrayed it. Here is a girl who lived the fairy tale but the fairy tale went bad."

As for who would play the glamorous Diana, Mr Watson conceded that would be a "very tall order".

He said: "Not only has she got to look like Diana, she has got to be an amazing singer so that would be one hell of a task to cast one hell of a person."

It is not the first musical to be made of Diana's life. Lady Di – Diana – A Smile Charms The World opened in Germany in 2001 and made much of the conflict between the princess and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Mr Watson and team hope their project will find its way West End, but have also sent it to a producer on Broadway.

Mr Watson added: "I think America is probably an even bigger market than here; they adored Diana. I believe you could run this musical anywhere in the world and it would bring an audience."

INTEGRITY Surrey Health & Racquets made squash history this week by becoming the first to reach the final of the Premier Squash League (PSL) for the fourth year in a row.

The Croydon-based club and defending champions hosted Oxford Health & Racquets in a repeat of the 2010 final. And after 16-year-old Georgina Kennedy – a late replacement for the injured world number four Alison Waters – dropped the opening match to Oxford's experienced Irish international Madeline Perry, the hosts stormed back with wins by British U23 champion Adrian Waller and young Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad to move 2-1 ahead.

All that was needed was a win by the Croydon club's Adrian Grant – but the Londoner, ranked 20 in the world, faced Cameron Pilley, the Australian number one, ranked three places higher, and with whom he shared a 4-4 career head-to-head record.

Pilley took the opening game, but left-hander Grant took the next two to lead 2-1. The Australian led throughout most of the fourth, but Grant fought back and clinched a popular 11-13, 11-4, 11-9, 14-12 win to take Surrey Health into the final for a fifth time, and a record fourth year in a row.

In the dead rubber that followed, Spanish number one Borja Golan beat the Croydon club's top string Peter Barker, the world number eight, 11-6, 11-13, 11-7, 11-3. Team manager, Pete Smith, said the club was privileged to be in the final again.

PETER Ramage has reiterated it's important to remember just how far Palace have come this season and that it was important to stop their recent rot with a clean sheet against Barnsley.

The 29-year-old said: "We're frustrated we didn't win more than anything else," he said.

"It was nice to stop the rot in terms of conceding goals and getting a clean sheet.

"We created so many chances and we were unable to put it in the back of the net.

"Everybody is doom and gloom, but we're fourth in the league – six points ahead of seventh position.

"People have got to realise we lost the first four games of the season and we were bottom of the league, adrift, and now we've turned it around.

"OK, we haven't won the last four games but we didn't play badly. We were disappointed to send the fans away without a win, but as a team, we were happy with our performance."

The stopper also said it was a strange situation regarding the home and away kits for both sides, adding that it was a bit of a shambles before the game.

With no game this weekend, attentions now turn to Ipswich Town on Tuesday, and Ramage is hoping the extra days off will help them prepare. And he has not given up hope of claiming second spot in the Championship either.

"Until somebody says we can't get it, there isn't one person in that dressing room that's not going to strive to get it," he said.

"Winning games will get us the momentum again and performing well."

SOUTH London received a major community sporting boost last week as two of the capital's oldest football clubs, Crystal Palace and Tooting & Mitcham United, launched a joint community initiative with a roadshow at the KNK Stadium as part of their Easter community programme.

Using the ultra-modern facilities at the stadium in Morden, home of Tooting & Mitcham, the roadshow attracted a large number of local young people, despite the cold weather, who participated in mini football tournaments, skill sessions, a hardest shot test, bungee football game and human table football.

At the end of the day, Crystal Palace first-team squad players Alex Wynter and Republic of Ireland U19 goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons presented some lucky participants with special prizes with everyone else in attendance receiving a goody bag.

The roadshow marked the beginning of a partnership, which will continue with community coaching courses before rolling out further projects to support key local priorities such as education, youth engagement and healthy lifestyles.

This continues the successful link between the two clubs, which currently involves the Crystal Palace FC development squad while playing a selection of their Barclays U21 Premier League games at the KNK Stadium.

Director of Tooting & Mitcham United, Steve Adkins, said: "It was fantastic to see young people come down here to participate in our roadshow.

"This is just the start of our partnership together on a community level and there will be a whole lot more to look forward to for the local community in the coming months."

And head of Crystal Palace FC Foundation, Donald Forde, was delighted with the turnout from a number of youngsters.

He said: "Despite the weather, the young people came out in numbers, which just goes to show how much the community is supporting our partnership.

"We spoke to a lot of the young people and their families about our plans going forward and we are excited about our future projects together for the whole spectrum of the local community."

For more information visit, www.cpfcfoundation.org or call 020 8768 6047.

ATHLETICS: Lee Flanagan, from Striders of Croydon, ran well to place 11th out of 534 finishers in the third annual Croydon half marathon on Sunday.

He ran the undulating course in 80 minutes and 56 seconds.

Club colleague Lee Wadsworth was 24th (85.05) with Chris Morton 38th (88.50), Damian Macenhill 48th (90.22), Tom Gillespie 53rd (90.55) and Ernie Hann 58th (91.31).

Striders' women were led by Karen Stretch, who was the fifth woman to finish, placing 103rd overall in 96 minutes and 16 seconds to leave her 13th in Striders' all-time women's rankings. Club colleague Zoe Williams, in her first half-marathon, was 25th (1.46.27).

On the same day, Darren Bird ran the Paris Marathon in two hours, 53 minutes and 49 seconds, lifting him to 13th place in Striders' all-time club rankings. Taylor Huggins ran a personal best of two hours 57 minutes and 26 seconds, while Tamsin Carelse ran a personal best of three hours, 44 minutes and 14 seconds.

Krzysztof Klidzia finished second in the weekly parkrun in Lloyd Park (18.18). Striders had a total of 31 finishers in the various local parkruns.

OWEN GARVAN is set to resume full training with the rest of the Crystal Palace squad on Sunday and he has targeted a return to first-team action by April 27.

The midfielder has been out of action through injury since December, but his return will be a timely boost to Ian Holloway as the Eagles look for the strongest possible finish to the promotion race.

And the Irishman is keeping his fingers crossed that Palace can reach the top flight again.

"These are the crucial games that matter, whether we get promoted or not, but we're in a great position to get out of this league," he said.

"With the five games to go, I'm hoping we can do that.

"I'm back working with the fitness coaches now and it's like starting a mini pre-season at the moment with a lot of running.

"The plan is to get back training with the lads by Sunday, so hopefully it goes well and maybe I can get an U21 game under my belt to step up my match fitness.

"The Leicester game will be touch and go, but if I don't make that, I'd like to make Blackburn away at the end of the month."

The 25-year-old witnessed Palace's goalless draw with Barnsley last weekend, but he believes it was good to record a clean sheet and says the squad's attacking talent will come good again. "For us, if we keep clean sheets, we'll win more than we lose," he said.

"We have some great attacking options, but we were just unfortunate on the day last weekend. If we keep playing like that the results will come.

"We had a lot of the ball and we could have created more."

Palace's next game is away at Garvan's former club Ipswich Town on Tuesday next week, and, with both clubs playing for different things at the moment, a good game is in prospect.

And he believes the Tractor Boys will be a force to be reckoned with under Mick McCarthy next season. "Mick has done fantastically because they looked dead and buried when he took over," said Garvan.

"He went in there and has steadied the ship to keep them safe, but I think next year they'll want to crack on and be in contention for promotion.

"I'm going to go to the game as I've got a few friends up there, so I'll be sitting with them to watch.

"And it will be quite funny as I'll be cheering on Palace and they'll all be cheering for Ipswich.

"No one is really safe from relegation this year so they'll need the points as much as us.

"Every game we play, teams have something to play for."

And looking back on the season so far, Garvan does not think the Championship has been as good as previous years.

"It's funny how people's perceptions change," he said.

"At the start of the season people were saying they would be happy just to stay in the league, but now we're doing so well, people are saying if we don't get promoted it will be a disappointing year.

"I know we have a lot of quality with the lads and it really is up for grabs to get promotion because I don't think the Championship is as good as previous years."

UPPER Norwood Library will have its opening hours cut down to just three days a week, it has been revealed.

Funding cuts have meant that libraries will now only be open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The changes will take effect from Monday, April 29, with reduced opening hours.

Cllr Jenny Braithwaite from the Gipsy Hill Labour Group said: "This is terrible news.

"It's only because of the strength of feeling in the community and a strong local campaign that the library can remain open at all.

"Lambeth council are currently working with the library staff to help get the library through and keep it open for local people at this difficult time.

"Once the situation is much more stable then the council and we as local councillors want to work with the local community to make the community trust model a possibility."

Croydon Council confirmed to the Advertiser that the library's hours were being cut down to three days a week.

PALACE may have a rare Saturday off tomorrow, but preparations for Tuesday's trip to Ipswich Town are well under way.

The Eagles' original fixture against Millwall was cancelled after the Lions reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, but that has since been rearranged for Tuesday, April 30.

Having a slight break can do some good, but on the back of recent results, Ian Holloway and his men would have probably wanted to get straight back out for the next game after last weekend's frustrating 0-0 draw with Barnsley.

Following the eight goals conceded in the previous three games, it was important to get back to basics with a clean sheet, but for those who witnessed last Saturday's game, Palace should have been comfortable winners.

Missed chances cost them, but at least it was an improvement from the recent blip against Brighton, Birmingham and Blackpool – maybe the failure to win has something to do with the opposition's first letter beginning with a B.

Ipswich are a different side to the one that lost 5-0 and marked Holloway's first game in charge back in November but, since then, Mick McCarthy has done a sterling job of dragging the Tractor Boys away from the drop zone.

McCarthy's side were set to play Hull City on Saturday, and of course, if they were to hold the Tigers, it would do Palace a slight favour for one of the automatic places.

However, their form previously has been impressive – they are unbeaten in their last five games, with their last defeat coming to Nottingham Forest at the start of March.

They seem to have good team spirit without any notable individuals and their defence has certainly improved dramatically with the pairing of Luke Chambers and Richard Stearman.

The arrival of Jay Tabb from Reading was also a clever signing and he has plenty of Championship experience under his belt, while the likes of David McGoldrick and Michael Chopra pose a threat in attack.

Despite the Eagles' away form in recent months, they do not have a bad record at Portman Road with just two defeats in their previous nine matches since 2002.

Holloway put out a strong starting XI against Barnsley, including the return of Joel Ward from injury, and the right-back's performance means he should keep his place on Tuesday.

Damien Delaney is set to return to the club that released him last summer, but one man who will definitely be missing is skipper Mile Jedinak, who picked up his tenth booking of the season against the Tykes and therefore misses the next two games, according to the club's media department.

He will, of course, be a big miss to the Eagles, so we could see Kagisho Dikgacoi deployed in the Australian's position with Jonny Williams, Andre Moritz and Alex Marrow battling it out for the other central midfield berths.

Depending on what formation Holloway plays, Moritz, Kevin Phillips or Stephen Dobbie can play in the hole behind Glenn Murray, while Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha should keep their wing positions.

Aruna Dindane might have a chance from the bench if he can improve his fitness in the next few days, and his confidence would have been boosted by scoring for the U21s last Monday.

PROGRESS made in tackling a sharp rise in robberies is being hampered by a criminal justice system which is failing to send those responsible to prison, a senior police officer has said.

Detective Inspector Brian Hobbs says his officers often have to arrest and charge the same people two or three times before they are given a custodial sentence, and they then go on to re-offend.

He told the Advertiser: "We've had to tell victims that the person has been caught, they've done it before, but they haven't gone to prison for it."

Det Insp Hobbs expressed his frustration while hailing the success of an eight-week operation set up to address an 18 per cent increase in robberies over the last year.

Over the past two months, 280 people have fallen victim to street robberies in Croydon, compared to 312 in the same period in 2012 -slightly above the operation's target.

Officers achieved a "detection" – in which police charge a suspect or issue a caution – in 21 per cent of these cases.

While this means four out of every five robbers escaped justice, if repeated across the year it would make Croydon one of the London's top performing boroughs.

Det Insp Hobbs said: "By arresting the offenders we're doing our bit – but a lot rests with the courts.

"Some of these people have been before the courts many times.

"If you have a young man and it is his first offence, he's very unlikely to be remanded in custody. They are dealt with either by probation or community punishment. They then go back out and commit further offences.

"It is (frustrating) but after being a police officer for 20 years you get used to it. It's the way the criminal justice system works and we have to work within that."

The operation, code-named Zeus, involved a team consisting of two sergeants and 12 constables, who were tasked exclusively with investigating robberies, rather than having to rush away to deal with other 999 calls.

Det Insp Hobbs said: "I took over at Christmas and was asked to look at how we could address the increase in robberies.

"The people committing these offences tend to try to move the stolen property on quickly or swap clothing so they aren't recognised. Being able to respond quickly and spend time with the victim in the immediate aftermath makes all the difference.

"It's not a criticism but the way it used to work meant officers were under a lot of pressure to move on to the next call."

Officers in the dedicated robbery response team have had the time to investigate during these crucial early hours, viewing CCTV footage earlier and taking victims or witnesses for a drive in an attempt to identify the culprit or culprits.

These tactics led to the swift arrest of a 25-year-old accused of robbing a disabled man in a wheelchair as he withdrew money from a cash machine in North End on Wednesday last week.

Croydon has not been allocated any extra manpower for the new team, which is made up of officers usually responsible for tackling rowdiness in the town centre or policing Crystal Palace matches.

Det Insp Hobbs is convinced the early success of Zeus, which has been extended for the foreseeable future, will continue.

He added: "This isn't just about playing around with figures.

"The results we've had over the eight weeks, and the number of arrests that have been made at the time of report, is a good indication that we are doing the right thing."

AN INSIGHT into what the Iron Lady was really like behind closed doors has been given by her chief press secretary, who has lived in Purley for decades.

Sir Bernard Ingham worked for Margaret Thatcher as part of the civil service throughout her premiership from 1979 to 1990 and saw her several times a day throughout that period.

However, he also remained her close friend after her exit from politics and saw her every month up until her death.

"I am extremely sad. I was not expecting it and saw her only one month ago. I thought she was doing well. The last eight years have been difficult because she started to lose her memory very quickly.

"I would tell her what was going on in politics and she would receive it like news every time because she couldn't retain the information. It made for a very empty retirement for someone who was so full of passion during her career."

His fondest memory of his friend was a few months ago when he had visited her on a good day, finding her quite lucid.

"That's the thing with memory loss, you have good and bad days. I told her things that were not going right politically and she sat up and started behaving exactly like she was back in office.

"She said: 'How did we get into this mess and how are we going to get out of it?'

"It was just like we were back in the 1980s and she was sorting out the country's woes. It was very encouraging for me – her spirit was still there and her utter determination to change things for the better."

Sir Bernard, 80, who lives in Monahan Avenue with his wife, reminisced over Lady Thatcher as his boss.

"I think the first thing to say is that she came to office to be prime minister of a country that was thought to be ungovernable. Within three years, that had changed and the UK had acquired a standing on the world stage again.

"A lot of this was down to the success of the Falklands War but also because of the tough way she tackled each problem.

"By the mid-80s, people began to realise the real calibre of Margaret Thatcher – it took seven years for her policies to start turning the economy around and all that time she was under a huge amount of pressure."

One of Sir Bernard's most abiding memories is of 1986 when he walked into his boss's study one evening. She strode over to him rubbing her hands with glee and said: "You know, I think my ideas are finally paying off, I always knew it would work."

Sir Bernard said Thatcher's conviction was unshakeable and she never suffered any moment of doubt or dithering. He also said she used the fact she was a woman to her advantage.

He said: "You have to remember she came to leadership when this country was in dire straits and she turned it completely around – that is why every news channel and every newspaper is full of her this week."

However, as her press secretary, Sir Bernard said there were various moments where her behaviour or policies made for very uncomfortable work.

"As a member of the civil service, it was not my place to agree or disagree with her politics, my job was to explain them to the press and the public," he said.

"I remember one Commonwealth summit when she was utterly adamant about refusing to sanction South Africa when Mandela was in prison. She never felt like she needed to explain herself too much.

"It was often not a very easy road but then, she did not believe in the easy road."

As one of the Prime Minister's closest employees, Sir Bernard said Mrs Thatcher was always utterly businesslike in their dealings at the time.

"I would come in at six o'clock in the evening and we would discuss the day over a scotch. But this was not a club – we talked only about politics.

"And it was also not a time to relax – after 30 minutes, she would be out and getting ready for some dinner. It was a very intensive workplace."

Asked if Mrs Thatcher ever expressed emotion during his time as press secretary, Sir Bernard said she was "not given to a great deal of emotion". However, she did break down frequently when her son was lost in the desert.

"Her family were incredibly important to her. They may have suffered because her job took up so much of her attention but Dennis, her husband, was very self sufficient."

Sir Bernard remembered taking her to a heroic children awards ceremony at one point and his boss turning to him in tears, saying: "You should not have brought me here, I am not strong enough to hear these stories."

The retired civil servant also remembered with a smile Mrs Thatcher's famous temper.

"She argued with such great passion and could dismiss counter-arguments in a second," he said.

"When the controversy began with the 'poll tax', I went to her and said people were saying that a blanket tax was inherently unfair.

"She turned to me and said sternly, 'The rich man in his castle is already paying a great deal of tax'. When I said others were arguing the tax would be very difficult to collect, she said exasperatedly: 'Well it might be difficult in bedsitter land'.

"She had a total lack of tact – that was just her way."

Sir Bernard remained close to his friend all the way up until her death on Monday. He remembers her constancy and utter loyalty – always going out of her way to support the ones she loved.

"My wife had a nasty accident in 1982 when she was run over by a lorry in Surrey Street Market and had fractured her pelvis.

"As soon as [Mrs Thatcher] found out she rang me up and said: 'Well I suppose I will be seeing less of you now'.

"I told her not to be silly and she said, 'No Bernard, you stay with your wife for was long as you need – you need to look after your family'."

HE MADE his Crystal Palace first-team debut against Premier League opponents in the FA Cup in January and did not look out of place in the slightest.

And now, young Hiram Boateng has targeted a regular place ahead of next season.

The 17-year-old was thrown in at the deep end in the third round replay at Stoke City at the start of the year and impressed immensely alongside Mile Jedinak in the middle of the park with his touch and range of passing.

And even though he has not featured since, he says he will be ready to help Palace's promotion hopes if called upon.

"If I was given another chance in the first team, I would just grasp it," Boateng said.

"It's down to the manager and the staff whether they think I'm ready because it's a big ask with the league position we're in and there's a lot of important games.

"If I get the chance, I'll take it, but I'll just carry on training hard to get in a position for the start of next season.

"I've spoken to the manager and he wants me to become more of a leader – he says he thinks I'm a good player."

Recalling the moment Ian Holloway revealed his starting line-up against Stoke, Boateng says it was a complete surprise and thought he would have just been travelling up for the experience.

"At first, I couldn't believe it," he said.

"I thought it would be like any other trip away where I travel but not even make the bench.

"When I was told, I knew I had to get my head screwed on and be focused for the match.

"We had a team meeting on the day of the game and the management put the team up on the board and that's when the manager said he was going to throw me in and give me a chance.

"I knew it was a big opportunity and I felt ready for it.

"I was training with the first team a lot at the time, but it's only been here and there since.

"Even though people have said I've done well at my age this season, I never want to set standards that are low for myself."

So, what can the Palace fans expect from the current U18 and U21 team regular and his aims for next season?

"I play mostly in central midfield – I can play either holding or a little more advanced, but not like a number ten or anything," said Boateng.

"My strengths are my passing and I'd say I'm strong on the ball and in the air – I always give 100 per cent.

"I never come off the pitch knowing I could have done more to help the team.

"I hope that I can break into the first team in the summer – it's an opportunity for me so it might give a chance for everyone to impress and have a fresh start.

"I want to go and establish myself in the first team at Palace. I want to play as many games as the club are willing to give me, I'll take them as each step and just try to improve – whatever the manager asks of me, I'll just do it."

POLICE have released new images of missing 15-year-old Sophie Nynan from Westcott who has been missing for two weeks.
Sophie has links with Croydon and police think she was in Thornton Heath on Wednesday April 3.
She has not been seen since she left her family home at about 6pm on March 30.
She is believed to have then been seen on CCTV cameras at Redhill Railway Station at 7.25pm that evening.
Sophie's family is desperate to hear from her or anyone with any information about her whereabouts.
"We are again urging her to please come home, you are not in any trouble and we just want to make sure that you are safe. We feel a great sense of sadness waking up every morning without you being here," the family said.
Extensive enquiries have been made to try and find Sophie, including appeals by the police and her family for Sophie or anyone with information about her whereabouts to make contact.
Sophie is mixed race, 5ft 2ins tall, slim, with straight, dyed brown, shoulder length hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black leather jacket, black leggings, white Converse high top trainers and two pearl stud earrings in each ear.
Detective Inspector Martin Stables urged anyone with information to call Surrey Police immediately on 101, quoting reference M/13/322.
 

PALACE defender Joel Ward wants to take the performance from last weekend's 0-0 draw against Barnsley and turn it into three points away at Ipswich Town on Tuesday night.

The right-back returned to the starting line-up for the first time since recovering from injury against the Tykes and put in a solid display to earn a clean sheet.

"Ipswich have always been a good team – they had a bad start to the season but Mick McCarthy has gone in and done a good job," Ward said.

"We're going to go there and expect a hard game like all of them are in the Championship.

"If we work hard, we'll go in there all guns blazing and come away with three points.

"We can build from the match against Barnsley and take the clean sheet and good performance to Portman Road.

"I was glad to have a clean sheet on my return but it was disappointing we didn't come away with the three points.

"The game against Millwall may have been moved from this weekend but we'll continue to stay prepared so that we have the best opportunity for Tuesday."

And the 22-year-old was delighted to put on the red and blue once again for the first time this year and hopes to help the club push for promotion.

"It's been a long time," he said.

"I've had to be patient in coming back but I'm happy to be back out there and put the shirt on again – it was a great feeling to play last Saturday.

"There were some complications making a return from the injury, so that was a bit of a setback.

"But I have settled in really well at Palace and I'm really happy where I'm at the club. It's been a great season.

"I would have loved to have been involved a little bit more but that's the way it is.

"You just have to pick yourself up and look after yourself – I have done that and now I just want to stay fit for the remaining games."

The right-back position has certainly had some competition this season, with Ward fighting it out with Darcy Blake for a starting spot, and now he has Jazz Richards to compete with.

But Ward says it will keep him alert and on his toes for the rest of the season before the Welshman returns to parent club Swansea City.

"Jazz is a good player and Swansea is a fantastic club, so it's great he's come out for the experience with us," he said.

"Any player, in any team, in any squad, you have to have competition for places as it keeps it healthy and helps everyone in the squad with every position – it's important everyone is on their toes."

Ward paid tribute to everyone connected with Palace after what he sees as a "fantastic" season and, just like Peter Ramage mentioned last week, it's about remembering how far the side have come following a very difficult start to the season.

"People get frustrated when results don't go our way but we've had a fantastic season and been in contention pretty much for all of it," said Ward.

"We've shown the desire to stay up there for the whole season, so it's a testament to all the boys and the staff at the club that we've done that.

"The fans also help because their support at home and away has been fantastic, so generally the club has done so well, and we'll do everything in our power to keep pushing forward."

And on the back of the news that his former club Portsmouth are on the verge of being bought by a fans' consortium, Ward admits it's been hard for him to witness what's happened at the club over the last two years.

"Regardless of who you are, you don't want to see a club in that situation," he said.

"Portsmouth are a great club with great support – it's a one club city.

"It's tough to see as the club is close to me and they brought me up.

"It was my first opportunity to play football there and hopefully they can sort themselves out."