James Tomkins joined Crystal Palace from West Ham in the summer for £10-million, in the hope of playing more games in his favourable position of centre-back.
The 27-year-old was asked on Saturday to play at right-back with Martin Kelly being dropped to the bench after dismal performances in recent weeks, leaving Pardew to make changes that some fans had been asking for weeks.
He impressed many in the position with Palace’s defence looking a lot more sturdy, with the Eagles keeping their first clean sheet in 18 league games, a run that started in April. Tomkins also managed to get onto the scoresheet with a tap-in from a few yards out.
Speaking to the South London Press, Tomkins siad: “A few days prior I got told I was going to play at right-back, it is not new for me. I played it at West Ham – physically it’s a lot different.
“It is my first time this year that I’ve not played centre-half, I had tired legs at the end. I’ll play anywhere for the team. It was nice to look rock solid and keep a clean sheet, it’s just as big as scoring a goal for me.
“We didn’t feel the pressure. There was a lot of speculation before the game, this and that, but the lads weren’t concentrating on that at all.
“We started on the front foot. You need a bit of luck at times in this game and the first goal came with a massive stroke of luck for us. We took full advantage.”
