July 31 2002

Simon Rodger

Palace play Tottenham Hotspur tonight in their first home pre-season fixture.

Simon Rodger returns for one last game in his long-awaited testimonial.

On request of the opposition Spurs, the game is being played as a serious pre-season friendly and Trevor Francis has picked a strong squad for the game.

Rodger will be playing the first 35 minutes of the game along with new signings Andy Johnson and Danny Butterfield.

Dele Adebola, currently on trial with the club, is also added to the squad.

Dean Austin who should play at centreback tonight is looking forward to tonight's fixture.

He said: "It's a good game for the club. I'm really looking forward to it and it should be a nice game.

"I haven't played a whole game yet and I haven't really been tested. The Spurs game will be a much harder test and it will give us a good idea of how we might be shaping up.

"Simon deserves it. I played with him for four seasons and he's been a great servant to the club for 11 or 12 years. He's a top lad, a top player and a top pro."

Tottenham meanwhile are likely to include a Chinese trialist Qu Bo in their squad for tonight.

Palace Squad: Clarke, kolinko, Fleming, Austin, Popovic, Granville, Butterfield, Mullins, Rodger, Thomson, Routledge, Freedman, Johnson, Black, Frampton, Rubins, Adebola.