It was a tough call to leave my former club, Sheffield United. My dad’s a massive fan and it was my third stint with them after starting my career there, but as a 24-year-old goalkeeper I felt ready to kick-on and return to being full-time. Crystal Palace is a great club to do that with.
While at United I worked under ex-Palace player Neil Redfearn. He’s an old-school coach and a father figure, with whom what you see is what you get: he tells you what he expects of you and then expects that to be delivered.
But without people realising he also has quite a soft side – I was injured when I first moved back and he was there for me, knowing when a player needs an arm around them.
I spoke to staff and players before joining Palace and they told me how much of a family club it is. I wanted to feel settled and welcomed quickly and that’s exactly what happened – it feels like I’ve been here for years already.
