Ertl hails Palace fans

Palace fans: Ertl praise

Crystal Palace midfielder Johannes Ertl believes the fans who travelled to Hillsborough on Sunday played a crucial role in helping the club beat the drop.

The London outfit needed just a point going into last weekend's crucial relegation showdown at Sheffield Wednesday.

A sell-out crowd provided a hostile atmosphere for the visitors but strikes from Alan Lee and Darren Ambrose earned the Eagles a thrilling 2-2 draw which sent the Owls into the third-tier of English football.

And the Austrian international told skysports.com that the loyal Eagles supporters helped them come out on top.

"Crystal Palace is a great club and I feel very comfortable here," he said.

Electric

"The supporters are excellent and they showed that by creating an electric atmosphere against the likes of West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday.

"It makes you feel proud to play for this club when you hear the noise generated by our fans and that gave us a huge lift on Sunday.

"Even after the West Brom game we were given a great round of applause when we came back out afterwards and that shows they are pleased with our level of performance and had confidence in us to go to Hillsborough and get the result we need.

"Going into administration in the middle of the season obviously wasn't ideal, but that is the past and we just need to make sure that we look back on the campaign with pride rather than disappointment."