Emmet Malone

Republic of Ireland defender Damien Delaney has signed a new contract with Crystal Palace extending the Corkman's stay at the club until at least June 2015.

“I was entering the last year of my contract here, so I’ve been talking to the club for quite a while,” the 32- year-old said in an interview with Palace’s official website yesterday. “Obviously we’ve both had other things to worry about, but we managed to come to an agreement last week and I’m genuinely delighted.

“Since the day I first came through the door a little over 12 months ago, Dougie Freedman and Ian Holloway have been great to me and the fans have too. We had a lot of success last year and have had a difficult time this year, but I’m up for the challenge and it’s something I want to be part of.”