July 12 2002

Butterfield to make his first start

An injury-hit Palace side travel to Barnet tonight where new signing Danny Butterfield is expected to make his first appearance for the Eagles.

Butterfield has been with the squad for the past week and it is not known whether he will start as right back or right midfield.

Clinton Morrison and Gregg Berhalter will miss the trip as they are on an extended holiday after their World Cup exploits.

But Palace have a string of injury worries for the start of the season.

Kit Symons is to have surgery on a groin injury picked up this week, Aki Riihilahti is not fully fit after recovering from an elbow injury and Julian Gray is getting his fitness back from his split tendon injury.

Jamie Smith and Ade Akinbiyi are working their way back to fitness after cartilage operations.

This means youngsters Ben Surey, Gareth Williams, Wayne Routledge, David Hunt, Gary Borrowdale and Will Antwi have have been drafted into the squad.