Ben Watson is hoping Palace fans don’t turn against him when he returns to the Eagles first team tomorrow.

Speaking on his official Icons website, Watson revealed he was looking forward to playing some part against Swansea tomorrow and that his relationship with manager Neil Warnock was still good.

Watson’s current deal at Palace runs out at the end of season and he refused to sign a new contract in the summer, prompting months of speculation linking him with moves to Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and QPR.

However, no move materialised and with Tom Soares having left the club to join Stoke City, Watson is expected to play only his second match of the season tomorrow, and he hopes the fans will get behind him.

He said: “I hope that they won't give me a rough time.

“I want them to know that whenever I put the Palace shirt on I will always give 100 per cent. That will never change. It would be nice if they can understand that.

“Me and the gaffer have had a number of chats and I know how he feels.

“He knows I want to play games and I am hoping to play a part this weekend.

“Our relationship is still good – even if people might expect it to be a bit frosty. That's not the case at all. It is as good as ever and nothing has changed.

“I haven’t been playing, which is difficult to take but these things happen in football. I want to play for Palace and hopefully I will start getting those opportunities.”

  • What do you think? Should the fans get behing Watson? Leave your comments below.