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Championship Playoffs | Championship playoffs

May 27, 2013 at 3pm UK

Crystal Palace
1-0
Watford

Ian Holloway keen to add "match winners"

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 27 May 2013

Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway wants to add match winners to his squad for next season due to the departure of Wilfried Zaha and injury to Glenn Murray.

Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway has expressed his desire to bring in "match winners" for his side ahead of their first season back in the Premier League.

Palace secured promotion to the top flight courtesy of a 1-0 win over Watford in the Championship playoff final this afternoon, having been tipped to go out at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion in the semi-finals.

However, Holloway believes that he always had enough match winners in his squad to be able to go all the way, and with Wilfried Zaha leaving to join Manchester United and top scorer Glenn Murray out with a long-term injury, Holloway is keen to ensure that the same applies next season.

"Everybody wrote us off, everybody. In a two-horse race there was one horse. We had no chance at Brighton away," he said.

"We had enough match winners in our team that would cause a few problems. I've got to make sure we've got that next year.

"It all starts now for me because the minute we kick off next we're on a hiding to nothing, so we've got to make sure we can compete and I want to stay there."

This season is the second time that Holloway has led a team to promotion via the Championship playoffs, having previously guided Blackpool to the top flight in 2010.