Paul Ifill has set his sights on earning a new deal at Crystal Palace, but knows he must stay injury free to get it.

The winger signed from Sheffield United for £750,000 in January last year has suffered a series of niggling injury's since his arrival and has started just nine games.

With his contract expiring next June, Ifill admits the coming season will be the most important of his career, and hopes to stay fit enough to get a new deal.

He said: "It's a massive season for me. I'm going to be 29 in October and next year is my last year.

"I want a new deal here but I completely understand the chairman not wanting to give me one. I wouldn't just go and knock on his door now as he would be well within his rights to send me away.

"He has paid a lot of money for me and to play nine games in 13 months is just not on. I have enjoyed my time here but that's ridiculous, it's the worst run of my career.

"If in that time I had done a cruciate or broken my leg then very well, but it's just been re-occuring injuries which we must get to the bottom of.

"You sort of wonder when it's going to end. If I get the same sort of problem next year and start six, seven or eight games then there is no reason why Crystal Palace are going to keep me on and there's no reason why another club would want me.

"I'm looking forward to getting fit and showing people what I can do and putting the chairman in a position where he has to give me a deal."

Despite a bright substitute performance against Wolves on Saturday, Ifill's thrill at being back on the pitch was cooled after the hamstring injury that has been troubling him all season flared up again.

He said: "I thought I had torn it again but the specialist thinks it's scar tissue as I have done my hamstring five times this season so there's a lot of it built up in there. Basically it is a lot of deep tissue massage and strengthening exercises this week. I haven't ruled myself out for Saturday.

"It sort of stems from back problems but there's lots of things we have been doing for the last month to alleviate that.

"I have moved up here now. I was driving three hours a day in two different cars at times which wasn't helping but now I am able to walk in an out of the training ground in two minutes. I feel a lot fresher in the mornings, I was getting out the car and feeling like an old man before."