November 20 2003

Danny Granville

Transfer-listed defender Danny Granville is hoping Kit Symons' spell as caretaker manager will give him a second chance at Palace, by Joseph O'Shea.

The 28-year-old former Chelsea, Leeds and Man City was signed for £400,000 by Trevor Francis in December 2001 but was placed on the transfer list by sacked manager Steve Kember in May.

A hernia operation ruled him out of action for the start of the season, and his only start came when Kember recalled him for the 5-0 thrashing at Wigan, which prompted the manager’s sacking.

Granville told the Guardian: "It’s been difficult because I had the hernia operation and haven’t had many games since. I wasn’t really ready to come back at Wigan especially at left wing-back which is so demanding.

"We hadn’t won in 12 games and confidence was low. I went back in at the deep end and I probably wasn’t quite ready."

Although player-manager Symons dropped him for his first game in charge against Preston, he sees Granville as a vital member of his small squad and is ready to give him a second chance.

Symons told the Guardian: "Danny is a very good lad. I don’t feel he was physically right in that Wigan game, so we left him out against Preston.

"But he is a member of the squad and we need all the players we can get right now. Danny is a left back where we are short and I want him to get some games under his belt and play his way back into contention."

Granville said: "Flem did really well against Preston and whoever’s playing you support them 100 per cent. We have found ourselves in a terrible situation fourth from bottom and we have to stick together.

"The only thing that can get you match fit is games. It is going to take a while but I am trying to push myself as much as I can."

Since he went on the transfer list, there have been enquiries about Granville but nothing concrete.

He said: "You hear of things, and you read in the papers but you always get speculation and I am concentrating on playing for Crystal Palace."

While he has been out, Gary Borrowdale, Jamie Smith and now Curtis Fleming have filled the left-back slot, without making it their own.

Now Granville, whose partner gave birth on Monday to a baby boy, Samuel, is hoping that he can get back in the team, and convince chairman Simon Jordan to extend his contract beyond it's expiry date in July 2004.

He added: "I just want to play football and do my best for Crystal Palace. Hopefully if the chairman sees fit then I can win a new contract, but I am not thinking about that, I just want to get fit and play my best."