October 1 2001

Dean Austin

Club captain Dean Austin is unhappy with being left out of the Palace side for the last two matches.

The experienced defender has had clear-the-air talks with boss Steve Bruce.

Talking on his personal website at icons.com he said: "At this stage of my career, the last thing I want to be doing is sitting on the bench, so I will not let the situation drag on for weeks and then months."

"Having to settle for around 20 games a year is simply not going to be good enough for me and I won't accept it."

Steve Bruce has made it clear to Austin that he doesn't want him to leave the club."