“Crystal Palace fans deserve more” – Andros Townsend explains why safe Eagles will look to kick on
Andros Townsend insists Crystal Palace will not rest on their laurels despite effectively securing Premier League safety with Saturday’s 1-0 victory at his former club Newcastle.
Luka Milivojevic’s 81st-minute penalty winner moved Palace up to 12th in the table and on to 39 points.
“We’ve done it [securing top-flight status for next season] with a few games to spare,” said Townsend. “Now we can look up the table and focus on getting as many points between now and the end of the season to hopefully end on a high and hopefully climb a few more places.
“We’ve had a little blip of late and there was a chance we could have got dragged into the relegation dogfight but this win secures our place in the Premier League for another season.
“But as a team, as a group of players and staff, we’re better than that and deserve more than that. The fans deserve more than that, so we’re going to push now for the end of the season and see where we can finish.”
The 27-year-old hailed team-mates Zaha and Luka Milivojevic for getting them over the line despite the hosts missing several good opportunities and piling on the pressure.
“I think especially this season we’ve soaked up pressure very well. When the home team have got momentum we’ve stayed resolute.
“We’ve stayed compact as a team and we’ve not conceded and you just know with the pace we’ve got on the counter and the quality and thankfully Wilf did what he does best and Luka did what he does best and it’s a well-deserved three points for us.
Milivojevic scored his 10th spot-kick of the season.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Townsend. “How can he score double-figure penalties and still send the keeper the wrong way? It’s incredible technique and incredible ability.
“We’re thankful we’ve got him for the big moments.”
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