June 29 2005

Emmerson Boyce

Emmerson Boyce is looking to put his end-of-season injury heartache behind him by returning against his former club Luton Town on the first day of the Championship season, by Stuart Pink.

The 25-year-old right-back missed the last eight games of the season after a freak training ground accident with teammate Mark Hudson resulted in him breaking a bone in his foot.

But after a summer of rehabilitation, Boyce looks set to return to training with the rest of the squad next week to prepare for the coming season and the meeting with his old employers.

Boyce said: "A few of the Luton boys texted me when the fixtures came through and I'm looking forward to it.

"I had a good time at Luton, I was there since I was 16 and that's almost 10 years. I walked away with a lot of trophies last year and a lot of good memories.

"They gave me the opportunity to play football and it will be a special game for me but when it comes to kick off I'll be looking to get the points for Palace."

Since the end of last season, Boyce has been working hard at the Palace training ground in Beckenham as part of his recuperation, which has mainly involved running and exercises involving weights.

But after recently returning from a two-week break, Boyce is now looking forward to getting back into full training with the rest of the squad.

Boyce said: "I'm more or less fit now. I'm seeing a specialist on Thursday who's getting me a special innersole for my foot. I'll be starting training at the same time as everyone else."

The defender's injury blighted what was a dream debut season for the Eagles last term after he arrived on a free transfer from the Hatters last summer.

He stepped in for the injured Danny Butterfield at the start of the season and made the right-back spot his own with a string of impressive performances which kept Butterfield out until Boyce's injury in March.

Boyce said: "The season went better than expected. No one had heard of me when I came to the club and Danny Butterfield had been there for two years and no one had dislodged him.

"Playing against Arsenal and Manchester United was a dream come true and now I've had a taste of the Premiership I want to have another crack at it."

Boyce feels the signs are looking good so far for the Eagles to make a swift return to the Premiership, with the signings of Jon Macken, Darren Ward and Jobi Macinuff already bolstering the Palace ranks.

Boyce added: "It shows the club is sending out a message to the rest of the division that we mean business. Macken and Ward are good players at this level, as is Jobi Macinuff who has got a good reputation.

"We'll be going in as one of the favourites, so hopefully we'll be going to teams, getting a few points and scoring some goals."