August 16 2013

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Crystal Palace have swooped for Rangers goalkeeper Neil Alexander on a one-year deal.

The 35-year-old quit Ibrox after his contract expired at the end of last season and will provide back-up to Julian Speroni.

Alexander, who has three caps for Scotland, has also kept goal for Cardiff and Ipswich, joining Rangers in January 2008.

He said: "This is a fantastic opportunity. Julian Speroni is the No.1 and has been for a while but there are a lot of games in the season and if I can push him hard then you never know.

"I met him for the first time earlier this week and he is a really nice guy so I think we are going to get on well together.

"I realise that Palace are favourites to be relegated but that's up to us to have something to say about that.

"The first match of the season is against Spurs and we're at Old Trafford in three weeks' time. It's brilliant for me."

Former Palace custodian George Wood, who now works as Palace's goalkeeping coach, recommended Alexander to Ian Holloway.

"It was a chance conversation with George which got the ball rolling," Alexander said. "I knew George when he worked at Cardiff and he said to me 'You'd be perfect for Palace' and that he would have a word with Ian. So things developed from there and I went to London at the weekend and we managed to get the deal done after I passed a medical, so it's brilliant for me."

Alexander was willing to take a pay cut to play for Rangers in Scottish League 1, but he said he could not accept the reduced terms offered by the club.

He said: "It has been a really tough summer. I had no idea what was going to happen and, as the season came ever closer, I wondered if I would get a club. The wondering and the waiting was hard because you just don't know what will happen next.

"So it's fantastic that I have managed to sign for Crystal Palace and I can't wait to get going. It's only for a year but there has been a discussion on extending that if things go well so it's up to me to rise to that challenge."