Socceroo Mile Jedinak has declared it a dream come true after leading Crystal Palace into the English Premier League.
Palace’s skipper and player of the season, Jedinak was glowing with pride after the Eagles secured a place among the giants of English football with a nail-biting 1-0 victory over Watford in the Championship promotion playoff before 82,000 fans at Wembley on Monday night.
The Championship playoff is estimated to be worth STG120 million ($189.33 million) for the winning team making it the wealthiest football match in the world.
The triumph caps a remarkable rise for the 28-year-old who left A-League side Central Coast Mariners in 2009 to play in Turkey before joining Palace in mid-2011.
Some pundits rate Jedinak as the best defensive midfielder in the Championship.
Jedinak will now be one of very few first-team Australians in the top flight next season.
Mark Schwarzer and Brett Holman have been carrying the flag for a dwindling Australian contingent but there is no guarantee either will remain in arguably the world’s top league in 2013/14.
“Immensely proud – a dream come true,” said Jedinak after Palace beat more-fancied Watford with a penalty in extra time.
“It means everything, it means the world to be honest.
“I’m feeling so many things at the moment but most of all just proud of my team and my teammates for making this all possible.”
Jedinak went over on his ankle during the match, an injury that would have worried Socceroos coach Holger Osieck ahead of next week’s crucial World Cup qualifier in Japan.
But he played on and said later he would have had to be dragged off the pitch.
While he had ice applied in the change rooms the injury was not considered serious.
Palace manager Ian Holloway hailed his skipper Jedinak as “outstanding”.
“Anybody else would have come off,” he said referring to Jedinak’s ankle.
Holloway told reporters he would have bet everything he owned on veteran Kevin Phillips converting the crucial extra-time penalty.
Jedinak was tireless in the midfield both before and after receiving a yellow card at the 28-minute mark for a crude fist to the rib of Almen Abdi during a tackle.
With the score locked at nil-all at halftime the game came alive after the 64-minute mark when Palace had a flurry of shots on goal requiring smart saves by Watford captain and goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.
Semi-final hero and Manchester United-bound winger Wilfried Zaha was again the star for the Eagles but chances were not converted.
Jedinak could have won it with a header in injury time but directed the ball straight at Almunia.
The Hornets picked up the intensity at the start of extra time but when England international Zaha was brought down inside the penalty area at the 14 minute-mark substitute Phillips coolly slotted his spot kick past the Watford keeper.
Source: AAP.
