November 19 2003

Kit Symons

Caretaker manager Kit Symons is confident he will extend Norwegian goalkeeper Thomas Myhre's loan spell at Crystal Palace this week but admits he is struggling to find a defender, by Joseph O'Shea.

After Wales crucial play-off second leg against Russia on Wednesday, Symons will drive straight back from Cardiff, ready to resume his managerial duties at New Beckenham on Thursday morning.

After a briefing from his assistant Stuart Gray, one of Symons’ first tasks will be sorting out Palace’s goalkeeping situation by extending Myhre’s month long from Sunderland for at least another month.

Myhre, 30, has played four times conceding eight goals since signing on a month’s loan, but his spell at Palace is set to end after Saturday’s game at Walsall.

With number one Matt Clarke expected to announce his retirement due to injury, Myhre’s return would leave the stand-in manager with just Frenchman Cedric Berthelin and 18-year-old Lance Cronin to chose from.

But even while he has been away with Wales, Symons has been on Palace duty and has set the wheels in motion to extend the loan.

Symons told the Guardian: "I have spoken to Thomas at length and he is keen to do another month. I spoke to Mick McCarthy this morning (Tuesday), he had no objections and it is looking good from all sides."

With Darren Powell out for at least two weeks with a thigh injury, leaving Symons and Tony Popovic as Palace’s only recognised centre backs, the new manager has also been searching for a centre half.

With three games coming up in eight days, Symons has made several inquiries about loan moves, but says he has found clubs unwilling to loan players, particularly defenders, at this stage of the season.

He said: "We are light in that area, so we have been and are looking to bring someone in, probably on loan.

"We have made a few enquiries and I am still hopeful of getting someone, but we have explored a lot of availabilities and clubs are reluctant to let players go out on loan now.

He added: "With finances the way they are in football, everyone is cutting their squads, well except Chelsea, which makes it difficult to get the right player."