Neil Danns admitted he was “buzzing” after making his first Crystal Palace appearance for eight months on Saturday.

The 25-year-old midfielder has endured a nightmare time since becoming Neil Warnock’s first singing at Selhurst Park in January, needing two groin operations and missing Palace’s push for promotion last season.

But he returned to the fold as a half time substitute against Nottingham Forest having had just one reserve game and helped set up Shefki Kuqi’s late goal that sealed victory.

He said: “I’m just buzzing having had a hand in the second goal, just to contribute that’s the main thing for me.

“It was a shock coming on so early, I expected to maybe get ten minutes if we were cruising, not to come on in the mix of it all but it’s good to be thrown in the deep end.

“Me and Shefki roomed on Friday night and I said to him if me and you get on I’m going to set you up.”

It was only the fifth appearance in a Palace shirt for the former Birmingham City man and he said the past eight months had been a struggle for him.

He said: “I have come here and I have wanted to play and to incur an injury straight away it’s been so frustrating.

“It’s been a long and hard rehabilitation but hopefully I’m over the worst now and I can keep looking forward to just playing football for the club and repaying the fans.

“The fitter I get the more I can keep making the box and hopefully add some goals into the midfield.”

Danns suffered no reaction after the game but admitted it would take a while for him to get up to match speed.

He said: “I didn’t find it too bad but getting your sharpness, routine and positional sense back is always going to be hard being out eight months but hopefully I can get myself back fit and start doing what I know I can do.”