Crystal Palace fan favourite Julian Speroni made a record-breaking 389th appearance for the club on Saturday against Bolton, a record that many fans have been waiting to see being broken.
Speroni has been in the background more than ever over recent years after the arrival of Welsh international Wayne Hennessey and more recently Steve Mandanda, who has been suffering with a knee injury.
The 389th appearance is a record amount for a goalkeeper at the club, with John Jackson previously holding the record. Speaking to the Croydon Advertiser, Julian Speroni spoke of his 389th game for the South London club:
“It was a clean sheet and I could not have asked for more.
“Obviously a win would have been nice but it was just the occasion for me. It was an emotional day for me and the build up to the game.
“A lot went through my head, but the game was special and seeing the fans behind the goal with the flags and everything, it was something I will remember. I was quite nervous to play. You realise what it means and I didn’t want to have a bad day and lose the game.
“I can be proud and pleased with how it went in the end. I had two saves in the first half which made me think that I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I had to enjoy it.
“It can be hard at the start of the game getting into it, but as soon as you make those first touches then you can relax and start to enjoy the game a little bit more.”
A number of former players took to Twitter to congratulate the goalkeeper on his accolade:
Twitter: Congrats to #JulianSperoni on breaking the GK appearance for @CPFC ! A club legend and above all, a wonderful person!! #389notout (@peterramage83)
Twitter: Congrats to Julian Speroni on beating the record well deserved and what a great man well done again
(@morrisonclinton)
Twitter: We use the word legend a lot but this guy Speroni is a legend and he fully deserves everything I remember when he first came to club (@morrisonclinton)
Twitter: Massive congratulations to Julian Speroni. What an achievement. And what a guy. Well deserved #cpfc #jules #legend (@_DarrenAmbrose)
Twitter: Well done you travelling supporters, well done Julian Speroni breaking John Jacksons appearence record. We are No28 in Mondays draw. @cpfc (@Mark__Bright)
