November 6 2007

Crystal Palace centenary

Crystal Palace have landed Stoke defender Clint Hill on loan for two months.

Hill, 29, can operate as a left-back but is likely to play at centre-half where Eagles boss Neil Warnock favours a physical presence.

The deal was revived on Tuesday after it collapsed last week when personal terms could not be reached and Hill goes straight into the squad for tonight's trip to Cardiff.

Hill is a direct replacement for Player of the Year Leon Cort who swapped places has gone to Stoke in a loan move with the deal being made permanent in January.

Warnock has been chasing Hill for a while as he felt the Palace backline was too nice and Cort is the first casualty of this.