Palace’s Ward relished battle with friend-turned-rival Bolasie

There’s always a bit of extra spice when coming up against a former team-mate but Crystal Palace defender Joel Ward claims he relished pitting his wits against Yannick Bolasie.

Full-back Ward came up against former Palace team-mate Bolasie last Friday night when the Eagles squared off with Everton in Premier League action.

And he largely kept the tricky midfielder quiet as Palace left Goodison Park with a 1-1 draw, extending their unbeaten streak to five league games.

Ward has witnessed first-hand the ability that Bolasie has to run rings around opponents so the 26-year-old enjoyed the challenge of limiting the Congolese star’s impact.

“I wish Yannick all the best and it’s great that he is doing well for himself,” said Ward.

“For me it was great to put myself up against him, having played with him for a few years you see some of the times where he destroys teams and therefore it is nice to match yourself up against someone of that quality.”

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In addition to his defensive duties, Ward bombed up and down the right flank against the Toffees – providing the pinpoint cross which Christian Benteke nodded in for the equaliser.

And the Englishman was pleased to see the hard graft on the training pitch paying off in matches.

“We have been working a lot on getting balls over into the box and in the last few games have really taken advantage of the presence that Christian brings,” added Ward.

“It was fantastic to see him get on the end of it and for me great to be involved in the goal.”