Dean Henderson fired shots at UEFA ahead of Crystal Palace’s Conference League final at the end of the month, saying that the Eagles ‘need to get back what we deserve.’ Palace were controversially relegated to the Conference League due to John Textor’s club model with Lyon.
Dean Henderson fired shots at UEFA ahead of Crystal Palace’s Conference League final at the end of the month.
The Eagles captain told TNT Sports ‘we need to get back what we deserve’ referring to being in the Europa League after the club were temporarily demoted from Europe’s secondary competition into its third tier.
It could not have gone much better for the Eagles, who reached their second final in as many seasons after their FA Cup triumph last summer.
But nonetheless, the bitterness at being dropped into the Conference League, with Nottingham Forest promoted to the Europa League, has left a sour taste in the mouths of Palace fans all season.
The Eagles have routinely sung a song bemoaning UEFA, John Textor and Evangelos Marinakis (the Nottingham Forest owner) and it was loudly chanted at Selhurst Park as Forest fell to a 4-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-final second leg.
Henderson echoed the thoughts of his supporters after the match, saying “It is incredible for Crystal Palace football club, you see the connection between the players and supporters, it is fantastic, it is unbelievable, the manager came in and made this team believe we can any game.
“It has been a difficult season obviously with the amount of games that we have played but we have delivered another final which is fantastic.
“It has been difficult, we have a small squad leading to December, January.
“Of course, when you are coming from a game like that last season, it gives you confidence, it makes you hungry for the next thing, we have got an ambitious group of players as well, don’t forget that but it is incredible honestly, to even get into a European competition with Crystal Palace never mind make a final.
“We’ve got to deliver something special, we need to get back what we deserve as well.”
Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is back to hero status at Selhurst Park again after he attempted to leave in January, gave praise back to his captain after he made a wonderful save in the build-up to Ismaila Sarr’s goal in the second half.
“He saves us every single game and he did it again and he will do it again in the final,” Mateta said.
“I am very happy – Crystal Palace in a European competition, we did it, we are in a final, now we focus for the final.
“Now we do the party, we celebrate before the final and after we focus for the final.”