Lee started nine of Palace’s opening 10 PL2 fixtures this season before making way for Jackson Izquierdo. The spell out of the team, he says, tested him.
“It just taught me to be patient and trust that my time would come again. I’ve experienced that before at other clubs, but coming here, being away from home, it was tougher. It made me learn a lot about myself – mainly to stay patient and be ready.”
Palace now enter a crucial period in their season, chasing a play-off place in PL2 while also preparing for a Premier League International Cup quarter-final against Real Sociedad on Wednesday, 18th March – click HERE for more information on the tie!
“There was disappointment after the result the other day,” Lee said. “But overall, everyone’s in a good place. We all share the same goal – finishing in the play-offs and going as far as we can in the cup competitions. The mood’s positive.”
Sunderland sit 17th in the table, three points behind Palace and just outside the all-important top 16.
“It’s an important game,” Lee said. “We can’t be complacent. We’ve faced teams below us before and maybe taken our foot off slightly. We have to approach this like any other game – start well, perform properly, and let the table take care of itself.”
The visitors arrive on a four-match winning run and full of confidence.
“They’ll trust what they’re doing because it’s working for them,” Lee added. “They’ll probably come at us early and we’ll have to weather that storm. But if we get through that, we can play our football and show what we’re about.”
