June 13 2003

Gareth Williams

GARETH WILLIAMS will be staying at Selhurst Park after signing a new three year contract.

The 20-year-old Welshman scored six goals in eight appearances while on-loan at Colchester last season and was instrumental in keeping them safe from relegation.

Now he hopes to make an impact in the first team at Crystal Palace. "I'm delighted that everything has now been sorted out," he told the club's official website.

"My future was always with Palace. There was interest from Colchester but my main objective was to stay here."

"I obviously played under Steve Kember when he was managing the reserves so I'm really pleased he is the new boss. All the players are looking forward to playing for him and making a good start to the new season."