This week features an exclusive interview with Wayne Hennessey, who discusses his recent success with Wales and his hero between the sticks: Neville Southall.
You can read a snippet of the programme's chat below:
Don’t tell Wayne Hennessey that international football is losing its appeal, with the No.1 for Wales quick to remind anyone about the Welsh record he is fast approaching.
There’s no air of arrogance or showmanship in these reminders, though. They are merely the actions similar to an excitable kid on Christmas Eve. Hennessey is a proud Welshman who is close to achieving everything the young lad who idolised Neville Southall growing up ever dreamed of.
“Neville is my hero,” he says. “I looked at him and thought: ‘Oh my god; I want to be Neville Southall.’ I think he was one of the best at that time. Obviously you had the likes of Peter Schmeichel but I thought he was the best in the Premier League.”
Never meet your heroes, they say. But as many of the junior Eagles will tell you about their experiences with players at Selhurst Park and out in the community, that couldn’t be further from the truth. And the same goes for when Hennessey, unintentionally reverting back to the innocence of his youth, discusses the times he has met Southall:
“I’ve met him a couple of times but we didn’t really discuss the Welsh records, more just football in general and he spoke a lot about his Everton days. I got his autobiography, and from a goalkeeping point of view it is very good. I can read it and see different things and understand where he is coming from.”
There's even more to read in this match's programme, too - with Sam Woods joining for a Cuppa in the Canteen, Stephen Browett providing his guide for Newcastle away and all you need to know about Bournemouth included alongside much, much more!
The programme this week supports the Rainbow Laces Campaign - and so features a limited edition front cover.
You can pick up a hard copy from vendors around Selhurst Park before the Eagles take on the Cherries, but to purchase a digital version - click on the preview below!