Stephen Henderson admits his move to Crystal Palace was a “no-brainer” after completing the formalities of his shock move on Saturday.
The Republic of Irishman was released by Nottingham Forest earlier this summer after failing to make a competitive start in almost two years at the City Ground.
At the age of 31 and more than a dozen former clubs under his belt, Henderson revealed how his move to Selhurst Park came about following loan spells at Portsmouth and Wycombe.
“It’s a privileged position so I’m delighted to get it over the line,” he told the Eagles’ website, before flying out to Austria for the club's pre-season trip.
“I spoke to Dean Kiely and he said: ‘Do you fancy coming in and having the opportunity to work with the lads?’
“Obviously it’s a no-brainer and I jumped at the opportunity.”
Henderson is Roy Hodgson’s first signing of the summer will provide competition for Vicente Guaita and number one Wayne Hennessey, something he’s looking forward to, as is the prospect of playing in front of the Selhurst Park crowd.
"Training [on Friday] was absolutely excellent,” he said.
“The goalkeepers are at a very high standard which is what I expected so I’m just going to take it all in and learn from them and try to support them as best I can.
“Just seeing this morning on my first day, the standards are what I expected from two top Premier League goalkeepers.
"I’ve played at Selhurst Park in recent years and it’s a very daunting ground to play at.
"The fans are known for their home and away support but particularly at Selhurst so it would be amazing to witness it first-hand."
