October 2 2003

Matt Clarke

Palace goalkeeper Matt Clarke is expected to announce his retirement this week, after failing to overcome a long-term knee injury, by Joe O'Shea.

Signed from Bradford City for £1.3million in September 2000 the 29-year-old spent all but six matches at the start of last season on the sidelines after surgery on a cruciate knee ligament and managed only four starts this term.

Manager Steve Kember is staying tight-lipped about the extent of the knee injury, calling it "a sore knee", but the Clarke has not figured since the end of August and has not been at the club’s New Beckenham training ground in recent weeks.

Kember had former Stoke goalkeeper Jani Viander on trial two weeks ago, but decided not to offer him a deal and 19-year-old Lance Cronin has provided bench cover for Frenchman Cedric Berthelin in the last five matches.

Kember told the Guardian on Monday: "We’re not really sure about Matt at the moment. There might be an announcement later in the week, but at the moment we don’t want to say anything."

If Clarke’s sad departure materialises, Kember can at least take heart form the performances of his number two, Frenchman Berthelin who has produced a string of out-standing displays, not least at Carrow Road on Saturday when he made two breath-taking stops.

Kember said: "We said at the start of the season we’ve got two good keepers. Obviously Matt Clarke's injury is a worry, but Cedric’s just proved us right - he is a very good goalkeeper."

The 24-year-old former Lens stopper was signed on a two year contract last summer after a successful trial, and after seven starts this season feels ready to claim the number one spot permanently.

He told the Guardian: "I am enjoying my time with the first team and I'm pleased to be playing, but I don’t really mind being second or first keeper.

"We have been very unlucky because everytime we are conceding a goal at the end. You can make 4 or 5 great saves but it’s zero points for the team."

His manager shares that view after Palace conceded a third last minute goal in four league games on Saturday.

He said: "We’re being our own worst enemy giving silly goals away at the end.

"We did enough to get a result, but we’re 4 points worse off than we would be, if we’d been a little more professional in our approach at the end of games."

Kember also denied that his impromptu discussion with Simon Jordan in the centre circle after the game, was anything out of the ordinary.

He said: "We were just talking about the game, that’s all there is to it, we always do that after a game."