MILE JEDINAK says he and the Palace players are backing Wilfried Zaha "110 per cent" to show his true potential and respond to his critics since a £15-million move to Manchester United.

The winger sparkled on his Eagles comeback against Newcastle United a month ago.

Zaha has been in and out of the starting XI since and Jedinak thinks the youngster will get better with a run of games.

"We know what he can do and we want him to reach his potential," the skipper said.

"We want him to show what he can within our team and we're going to be backing him 110 per cent.

"People are making their opinions and base them on what they've seen and how they interpret things.

"But I think with us and people involved with our football club, we've got to see Wilfried grow up from a kid and join the first team.

"I was lucky enough to play with him for a couple of seasons and there's a good kid there, but there's also a good kid there with plenty of potential.

"That needs to be nurtured and done in the right way but he's hard-working and willing to do what we do within our system.

"That's all you can ask for and everything else will take care of itself."

PALACE boss Neil Warnock spoke of his delight at continuing the Eagles' unbeaten league run under his leadership following a comfortable 2-0 win over Leicester City last Saturday.

Two early second-half goals from Fraizer Campbell and Mile Jedinak in the space of three minutes saw off the Foxes at Selhurst Park.

Warnock said: "The wins are so important, to get three points is unbelievable. But when you get three points and you play well and you deserve it, I'm determined to enjoy it myself and I asked the players to enjoy it.

"I think you can see that they are enjoying it too. It's a privilege to play at a club like Palace in the Premier League and they just have to embrace it.

"At half-time we said about being a lot more positive and I thought the wide players could win us the game or our set-pieces and I thought they were a threat throughout the game.

"Campbell, when he put himself out in the second half, I thought he made the difference. He deserved his goal and two goals quickly was very welcoming.

"Leicester had a good start so we were a little bit deeper than we should have been, but I thought we changed after about 20 minutes and gradually we got more positive."

Captain Jedinak's glancing header gave Palace a two-goal lead – his second in as many games – and Warnock praised his skipper.

"We could have got a bit further forward in the first half and I said to Mile I fancy him for a goal but I thought it might be a shot from outside the box," said the boss.

"He's a leader. He's our leader. He's what I call a bit of a bread-and-butter player. He's always the first on the manager's team sheet and it's nice when he gets a reward of a goal."

The contest started at a decent pace with both sides getting on the ball. The first chance fell to Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, who controlled the ball inside the box and saw his goal-bound shot brilliantly saved by Julian Speroni. The ball eventually fell into the path of David Nugent on the edge of the area and the forward curled inches wide of the far post.

Palace hit back as Campbell headed towards goal from Jason Puncheon's free-kick, only to see Kasper Schmeichel make an easy save, before Nugent went on a galloping run past four Eagles players and shot wildly over.

Approaching the half-hour mark, Palace went up another gear and should have taken the lead with three or four terrific chances.

First, Yannick Bolasie's brilliant cross was nodded back by Puncheon towards James McArthur, but the Scotland midfielder's shot was deflected over.

From the resulting corner, Joe Ledley's header at the back post was cleared off the line by Esteban Cambiasso, before Puncheon forced Schmeichel into a good save from range.

The loose ball was played back into the mixer and Campbell glanced a header wide of the far post.

Into the second period and after a goalless first half, Palace were two goals up after 54 minutes.

They drew first blood when Scott Dann rose above his marker from a corner to power a header towards goal, only for Campbell to help the ball on and into the back of the net.

And then, moments later, Bolasie won a free-kick on the left in a dangerous position, which Puncheon delivered into the box and skipper Jedinak glanced into the bottom corner.

Palace were rampant and went looking for a third but Leicester managed to regain their composure and made a couple of changes to their pack.

In-form striker Leonardo Ulloa had not had a sniff all afternoon at this point, with Dann and Damien Delaney keeping the former Brighton man quiet.

Marouane Chamakh came on for Campbell after four weeks out with a hamstring injury, and the Moroccan nearly got himself on the scoresheet with a diving header, only to see it go inches over.

Leicester were poor and offered little in the second half, with Palace happy to see the game out quite comfortably.

An ex-Croydon College student has been found not guilty of trying to poison her mother in a plot inspired by hit U.S. drama Breaking Bad.

Kuntal Patel, 36, was cleared of the attempted murder of her mother Meena Patel, an incident which was claimed in court to have been modelled on scenes from the television show.

However, a jury at Southwark Crown Court cleared her yesterday (October 2), but did find her guilty of acquiring a toxin. She will be sentenced on November 7.

Patel, of Plaistow, east London, had already admitted two counts of attempting to acquire toxins on other occasions.

The court heard how Patel was angry about her mother's alleged attempts to break her up with her boyfriend, based in the U.S.

The toxin in all three counts was abrin, a poisonous substance found in the seeds of rosary peas.

She purchased the toxin over the internet and arranged for it to be shipped to a friend's address in London.

Counter Terrorism Command T/Commander Duncan Ball said: "Our thorough and complex investigation identified that Kuntal Patel had purchased an extremely deadly toxin via the dark web.

"I would like to pass on my personal thanks to US law enforcement and other international agencies for their cooperation and assistance during this investigation."

PALACE midfielder Joe Ledley has hailed boss Neil Warnock and says he and his team-mates are "thriving" under him.

The Eagles are unbeaten in the league under the manager and Ledley says the 65-year-old is letting them play to their strengths.

"The gaffer has come in, we're happy with the way he's working and he hasn't really changed much," said Ledley.

"He believes in us and when we do get on the ball we just get on with our game and lets us play.

"It is working and he's been brilliant. We're thriving under him.

"We were just as frustrated as the fans when Tony Pulis left but credit to the new gaffer, he's come in and done brilliantly.

"No one can complain with how he's done, he's let us get on with our jobs. It's good to work under a manager like that."

Warnock has played Ledley alongside Mile Jedinak and James McArthur in the last two league matches, which has not only produced two wins but also allowed the Eagles to bomb forward down the flanks.

It is certainly a solid-looking midfield with the trio, and that has allowed the likes of Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon to cause a threat.

But at the same time Ledley says he and the midfielders are "disciplined" in their roles and that is paying dividends.

"That's two wins in a row so hopefully we can continue our form and now we're looking forward to the game against Hull City," he said.

"We have got five in midfield counter-attacking and we're very disciplined. We can mix it up, we can put two up front, have five in midfield or whatever.

"It's good to be back playing, I have been a little bit unlucky with injury lately so I have been happy to get two 90 minutes under my belt and also two wins.

"We work our socks off in there and try to support the front person and then the back two and four as well. It is a tough job but we're disciplined and we go from there."

Ledley's club and international team-mate Jonny Williams left for Ipswich Town on loan on Monday, and he believes the 20-year-old's time will come at Palace.

However, Ledley insists the form of others can't be ignored and it makes it hard for Warnock to leave them out due to their good form.

"We all know how good Jonny can be, he just needs to bide his time," said Ledley.

"He's still young and has a great future ahead of him.

You can't really argue with the players in the team at the moment. Players like Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie have been fantastic so he's just got to wait his turn and go from there."

A CIRCUMCISION fetishist and Catholic clergyman from Upper Norwood who targeted young boys and asked them to expose themselves has been locked up for more than two years.

Vernon Quaintance, 71, lured schoolboys for a drive in the countryside before asking them to drop their trousers under the pretence of inspecting whether or not they were circumcised.

The paedophile confessed to a string of offences against five young boys as young as 10 in the 1960s and 1970s.

The pervert, who was a member of Catholic society the Order of Malta, had also accumulated an archive of vile images.

Thousands of images were unearthed from his computer, many showing bloody and ritualistic circumcisions in the Brazilian rainforest.

Quaintance was a leader of pro-circucision group the Gilgal Society, a group claiming to promote male circumcision and 'its benefits in terms of health, sexual satisfaction and self-image'.

But this was just a facade for the 'distribution of images of young boys' for erotic and paedophilic use, Southwark Crown Court heard today (Friday).

Gilgal is a Biblical site in Jericho and was also known in Hebrew as Gibeath-haaraloth - the Hill of the Foreskins.

He has served as a sacristan in the church in the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, north London, where the Order of Malta conduct their masses.

Jailing him for two years and four months Judge Anthony Leonard QC said Quaintance used his interest in the surgical procedure to look at young boys.

"In my judgement, while I accept that you have had a lifelong interest in circumcision, the reason that you took those young boys to a secluded spot and asked to see their private parts - while it may have been inspired by your own interest - was clearly for sexual gratification," he said.

"You are now 71 and in reasonable but not robust health.

"I can make some very limited allowance for your age but it does in particular assist you to the extend that I am able to judge that this offending did not continue in your later years."

The first boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was just ten years old in 1966 when Quaintance approached him while he was knocking on doors for his Cubs group on a 'Bob a Job' round.

Quaintance, who was in his 20s at the time, asked if he wanted to go for a drive in the Surrey countryside.

"It was during that drive that the defendant began to talk about circumcision," said prosecutor Jonathan Turner.

"This led to the defendant to describe what circumcision was and when they came to a secluded area in the countryside, the car was parked and the defendant asked the complainant to show him his penis to determine whether it was circumcised or not."

The "scared" boy refused and Quaintance drove him home.

Two boys, aged 10 and 11, were targeted at St Bartholomew's Church in Clapham, south London, where he worked as an alter server.

Quaintance took an 11-year-old altar boy on a drive in the countryside after gaining the trust of his parents.

He joked about circumcision and convinced him to expose himself.

He asked how far back he could pull his foreskin and if he wanted to see an example of a circumcised penis.

The child was left "horrified and sickened" by the "abuse of trust" for many years after the incident.

The deviant also pursued two brothers, aged just 12 and 10, while working as a BT engineer.

There was a photo studio and dark room at the premises in London which Quaintance lured two children to in the 1970s.

"The defendant claimed he was a member of a photography club, as a consequence he induced him [a complainant] to go," said Mr Turner.

"He took him to the dark room under the pretence of being taught photography.

"Once there he introduced the topic of circumcision and invite the complainant to take down his trousers.'

The boy, who had initially agreed, grew scared when he saw the look on Quaintance's face as he approached him and refused to expose himself.

His brother, also lured into speaking about circumcision with Quaintance alone, was so distressed by Quaintance's sick request he went to the toilet and cried.

Gudrun Young, defence counsel, said Quaintance's "life work" was the promotion of circumcision and pressed he had a 'genuine interest' in the procedure.

"He maintains that he wasn't acting out of sexual motivation at the time," she added.

Quaintance dodged jail in 2012 after he was found guilty of possessing nine hours of child pornography on video tapes.

The retired telephone engineer walked free with a suspended sentence, despite a judge pouring scorn on the claim he derived 'no sexual enjoyment' from the clips.

Faced with a series of new charges, he admitted nine offences just moments before his jury trial was due to begin earlier this year.

Quaintance, of Hetley Gardens, Upper Norwood pleaded guilty to five charges counts of indecency with a child between 1966 and 1976 and four counts of possession of indecent images.

He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for one count of indecency with a child.

He was jailed for a further 10 months for three remaining indecency charges to run concurrently with each other and consecutively to the 18 months sentence.

Quaintance was handed a one month sentence for possession of indecent photographs which were all graded at Level One to run concurrently to the other terms.

An additional count of sexual assault on a child was left to lie on file. 

A SCHOOL deemed "inadequate" by Ofsted has achieved the best SATs results in the borough.

This summer every Year 6 child at Wattenden Primary School achieved at least a level 4 in English and maths - the benchmark standard.

Last month Wattenden completed its transformation into New Valley Primary, with a new uniform, many new teachers and a transformed building.

In May 2013, just four months after head teacher Pete Steward arrived, Ofsted placed Wattenden into special measures. Mr Steward says this was one of the best things to have happened to the school.

"It gave me a mandate to say to people that things weren't good enough and had to change.

"The children have now begun to get the quality of teaching they deserve and need.

"A lot of it is about expectation. I demand a lot of the staff, a lot of hard work and a lot of care.

"We've set out the expectation that nothing less than good teaching is acceptable. It was a challenge.

"It was tough and there were some tough decisions to make, and significant improvements had to be achieved, but we started to do that quite quickly."

At this time, nearby "outstanding" school Chipstead Valley Primary took Wattenden under its wing and the two schools have worked together ever since.

Chipstead Valley became an academy earlier this year so the relationship could be cemented, and New Valley opened under the Chipstead Valley Academy Trust. New Valley is a one form elementary school with one class per year group, while Chipstead Valley has two. The teachers from each year meet once a week to plan lessons and review children's progress together.

Mr Steward said the school has the best of both worlds. "Teachers get the support of a bigger school while keeping the atmosphere of a small one."

Ofsted visited Wattenden each term since May 2013, giving positive feedback and saying the school had made progress towards coming out of special measures, progress reflected in its SATs results.

"We knew that this group of children could achieve highly," Mr Steward said. "And because we tracked the children's progress so carefully through Year 6, we knew they were going to do well.

"We try not to think too much about league tables. What counts is that we help the children to be the very best that they can be – to achieve the best results in the borough is a bonus."

And the school's most important critics, the children, have embraced the changes too.

Mr Steward said: "On the first day we had an assembly first thing. It was wonderful, and quite moving, to stand at the front and watch the children come in and look around and go 'wow!', and they were all sitting there in their new uniform looking so smart."

Mark Rosewell, executive head of Chipstead Valley and New Valley, said the children have always been excited about the changes.

"The kids have been enthusiastic the whole way through," he said. "They've just needed something in place to allow that enthusiasm to translate into good learning."

Mr Steward added: "What is key is taking that enthusiasm and pride in their new school and absolutely making it happen. We've told them that it's going to be great and outstanding and we're absolutely determined that that's what it's going to be."

New Valley Primary School will hold open days on October 8 and November 19, both at 9.15am. If you wish to speak to Mr Steward about the school, or want information on enrolling your child now, call the office on 0208 660 1325.

ONE of New Addington's greatest champions, Brenda Kirby, died last Sunday after losing a long battle against lung and brain cancer.

Tributes have been flowing this week to the former Labour councillor who dedicated her time in office to looking after the people of the estate.

Mrs Kirby, who lived in New Addington with husband Bob for more than 45 years, would have been 70 next year.

A drama and special needs teacher by profession, Mrs Kirby was first elected to the council for New Addington ward in 1986 and served, apart from a short break due to ill-health, until 2010 when her illness stopped her from seeking re-election.

During her time on the council her jobs included leading for the Labour opposition on cultural services.

She was a champion of the arts and was a former chairman of the board of the now closed Warehouse Theatre.

She also served as a school governor, as manager of Goldcrest Youth Centre and founded the New Addington Little League football competition.

Mrs Kirby was Mayor of Croydon in 2004/5 and was made an MBE in the 2010 New Year Honours in recognition of her contribution to the New Addington community.

And it was representing and supporting the people of New Addington which she believed was her greatest achievement.

Her husband, Bob, said this week: "She wasn't what you would call a 'politician', just a hard-working local councillor.

"There was no side to Brenda and no hidden agendas. She was just there to help people and she will be remembered for that."

He added: "She absolutely loved being mayor, she thought it was the best job ever."

Mr Kirby's views were echoed by leader of Croydon Council Tony Newman, who said: "Brenda was from that rare breed of politicians who not only connected naturally with local communities but also brought together people from all the main political parties.

"She lived alongside the community she represented for many years and had a deep and personal understanding of the issues which mattered most to those she represented."

He added: "I know I can speak for everyone who knew Brenda when I pass on to her family the sincere gratitude Croydon owes to a woman who dedicated her life to helping others and making the world a better place."

Tributes have also been paid by Councillor Toni Letts and former New Addington council colleague George Ayres, who both worked with Mrs Kirby to found the Brenda Kirby Cancer Centre in New Addington Baptist Church.

Her ambition to set up the centre came after she was diagnosed in 2009.

She received support from the cancer help centre in Purley and wanted to see similar facilities provided in New Addington. Her dream came true when it opened in November 2011.

Cllr Letts said: "Brenda really drove the centre because she knew from her own experience how important it was to have someone to talk to. Throughout her illness she carried on very courageously. She was always cheerful and always positive."

Mr Ayres said: "She was a wonderful person, generous and supportive and very open and caring."

In addition to Bob, Mrs Kirby leaves son Clifford, daughter Erica and three grandchildren.

There will be a memorial service in Croydon Minster on Wednesday at 2pm followed by a private family service at Croydon crematorium.

X FACTOR hopeful Ben Haenow will this weekend be shown performing for a place on the live shows.

Ben, 29, has so far earned widespread praise from the four judges for his performances in the audition stages, with Simon Cowell admitting he is surprised the Shirley van driver doesn't already have a record deal.

This weekend viewers will see Ben perform in front of his mentor Cowell, along with five other hopefuls in the Overs category, at the Judges Houses stages of the competition in Los Angeles.

If Ben is one of three chosen by Cowell to advance, he will next weekend perform in the first of the Saturday night live shows on ITV.

Reports suggest most of the Overs category will be shown performing tonight (Saturday) but that Ben's performance will be saved until last for Sunday night's show, which is on ITV1 at 8pm.

HAVING enjoyed something of an Indian summer in recent weeks, it's fair to say the weather is about to take a turn for the worse.

Met Office forecasts suggest Croydon can expect rain for four out of the next five days, starting with downpours at lunchtime today (Saturday).

Sunday looks like it should stay dry, but fairly consistent, heavy rain is then predicted for the first three days of next week.

It will still be pretty warm however, with temperatures ranging from 17-19 degrees - above average for the time of year.

WE CAUGHT up with the Hull City reporter for the Hull Daily Mail, Phil Buckingham, to give us his view from the north east…

A lot of money has been spent at Hull. Are the fans happy with the start made?

Reasonably so. In an ideal world a couple of the draws would have been wins and City would be up in the top half but they've paid the price for sloppy defending. Cause for contentment has still been found in the performances. There's a new attacking edge to this side and they've given plenty of opponents problems. The key is getting the balance right in the next few weeks and Steve Bruce is adamant his side are close to getting the results he feels they deserve.

Tom Ince was on loan at Palace last season. How's he getting on?

His season has stalled, if truth be known. After starting the first three Premier League games and showing promise in attack, the arrival of Abel Hernandez for £10m has budged him firmly out of the picture. So much so, Ince has not even made the bench in the past three league games. He notched his first goal for the club in the League Cup last week but he's going to need patience to crack it at the KC Stadium.

What are the expectations among the fans? Where should Hull be finishing by May?

As a club still new to the Premier League and wary of how quickly it can go wrong from their last adventure, all supporters are really asking for is survival. The expectations have risen, no question, but no one is getting ahead of themselves. If Steve Bruce can plot another comfortable survival bid and finish higher than the 16th place of last year, every supporter would be happy with that.

Who should Palace look out for on Saturday?

At the minute it has to be the front two. Nikica Jelavic has got three goals in his six starts this season to continue paying back the £7m fee that brought him in from Everton in January, while Abel Hernandez has wasted no time making his mark.

And which player from the Eagles have you been most impressed with?

A lot of the talk has been about Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon but I've always kept an eye out for ex-Hull City man Damien Delaney. I don't mind admitting I had doubts he would be able to make the step up to the Premier League but I'm also happy to have been proved wrong. The young lad we saw making his Hull debut 12 years ago has come a long way.

Finally, a score prediction?

The past few weeks suggest City are due a slice of luck and a win so I'll lean towards a narrow home victory. Perhaps 2-1 to the Tigers.

FIREFIGHTERS from Woodside fire station are dealing with a fire which broke out in a domestic property in Woodside Green at around 8am this morning (Saturday). The London Fire Brigade reported at 9.15am that no-one has been injured but fire investigation officers are on the scene looking into the cause of the incident.

TWO women were arrested after a heated exchange in the gravy aisle of a supermarket.

A row broke out between two families next to the meat-based condiments in the Beddington Lane Asda last Saturday (September 27) at around 3.45pm.

After a few choice words it is alleged a 15-year-old girl was then punched, Sutton Police have said.

Police arrested two women, aged 37 and 58, on suspicion of assault. They have been bailed to return to Sutton Police Station in November pending further enquiries.

It is not known whether gravy was the cause of the argument.

THE Bard of Selhurst Park, James Miller, takes a poetic look ahead at Crystal Palace's trip to Hull City...

Yannick's runs, pace, tricks.

Jules a rock between the sticks.

Dann's head, Campbell flicks,

Two games won now six from six.

Four unbeaten, Warnock's reign,

Do we dare to dream again?

Tony's loss is Neil's gain,

As we win game after game.

Foxes cunning but eagles stunning,

Played as if we saw them coming.

Second half, Leicester unsure,

Two set pieces, two we score.

Jedi jumps, Leicester stutter,

Neil calls Mile 'our bread and butter'.

Critics hush, doubters blush,

Red blue army, Neil we trust.

So 3pm this Saturday,

The Eagle swoops to Hull away.

Lets table climb, three on the bounce,

Lets tame the tiger set to pounce.

POLICE are asking parents to be vigilant after an 11-year-old girl was approached on her way to school on successive days by a stranger.

The girl was approached near the entrance to Beddington Park, in London Road, Wallington, on Wednesday, September 24, at around 7.30am. He asked her about her route to school before saying 'goodbye'. The girl did not speak to the man, who walked off towards Wallington Green. 

The following day, the man started to speak to the girl at the same location at around the same time, but was challenged by a member of the public and then walked away.

The suspect is described as black, aged late 40s, about 5ft 7in tall and of slim build. He had stubbly, dark Afro Caribbean hair and a distinctive protruding bottom lip. He was wearing a baseball cap, dark jeans and hooded jacket.

Police are investigating and asking anyone with information to come forward. Officers have increased their patrols in the area. 

If anyone has any information to assist police enquiries, contact Sutton Police station on 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.