October 15 2004

Darren Powell

Palace defender Darren Powell has declared he wants to stay at the club and fight for his place, after recent transfer speculation linking him with a move to Nottingham Forest, by Stuart Pink.

Powell is currently on the comeback trail after recovering from a fractured cheekbone suffered in last month’s Carling Cup win against Hartlepool, but with one year left on his contract he is eager to start playing again and win a new deal.

Powell said: "I’ve always said I wanted to stay, like last season when Reading was interested and I told the gaffer I wanted to stay here and fight for my position.

"I’ve only got a year left on my contract, but at the end of the day I just want to get fit and be injury free and see what happens.”

Nottingham Forest manager Joe Kinnear was reported at the weekend to have said he had a loan bid turned down for Powell, as Palace boss Iain Dowie was only looking for a permanent deal.

Dowie has not confirmed the story, but hinted there has been some interest in the play-off semi-final hero.

Dowie said: "If there’s a deal to be done Darren will be the first to know. There’s not a deal that’s been put to us that runs in an acceptable nature that we think is even right to inform Darren."

The popular defender is being eased back into training, avoiding contact sessions to make sure his injury is healed fully before he is available for selection in two weeks.

But his time on the sidelines has added to a succession of bad luck with injuries over the past two seasons, after his virtually ever present first season.

Powell added: "It’s been a bit difficult with these niggling things and fracturing my cheekbone, it’s set me back. Especially as I was out for so long last year, you just want to be back and play whether you are in division one or the Premiership, but I just want to see some of the action."

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