July 6 2002

Danny Butterfield

Danny Butterfield completed his signing for Palace and immediately said: "This is a much bigger club than Grimsby."

He passed a medical and agreed personal terms after Palace signed the midfielder from Grimbsy for an undisclosed fee.

Butterfield, 22, said: "This is a much bigger club than Grimsby. With all due respect to Grimsby I was fighting relegation there, but now I'll be helping Palace fight for promotion.

"There's a great set of lads here and they've made me feel really welcome. I've only been here a couple of days but they've been very friendly and I'm proud to be a part of their squad."

A happy Trevor Francis said: "Considering he's still only 22 years of age he's got quite a bit of experience having made over 200 appearances for Grimsby. He's a player that I've admired for a few years.

"I was alerted to the fact at the end of the season that he was available on a Bosman, and I felt that considering his talent he would be a good acquisition to the squad."