October 1 2007

Paul Ifill

Crystal Palace winger Paul Ifill has revealed his frustration at being stuck on the sidelines.

The 27-year-old is currently out with a hamstring injury and has only featured for 33 minutes this season when he faced Charlton at Selhurst Park.

Palace have missed his exciting wingplay as they struggle to get going with just two victories this term, putting pressure on manager Peter Taylor's future.

Ifill admits he has found it tough not being able to play and is targeting his comeback for the Eagles' clash at Blackpool on October 20.

He told the South London Press: "Pre-season was the best I've felt. I was playing up front and banged in three goals in three matches - I was really looking forward to things getting underway.

"It was probably the fittest and strongest I've come back after a summer. I really did look after myself because I felt I owed it to the fans and the club.

"I had a 35-minute cameo against Charlton, which I thought I did pretty well in, but that's all people have seen in me.

"It's frustrating for the fans and frustrating for me. I just want to get out there and play and be part of a winning team.

"It's not that bad an in injury, just a small hamstring tear, but it's very niggly. Perhaps I came back a little bit to early the first time because I wanted to get back into the team as quickly as possible."