Stuart O'Keefe has not had much football this season but stood up to be counted when it mattered at Wembley on Monday.

The Crystal Palace midfielder came on 17 minutes into the Championship play-off final win over Watford after Kagisho Dikgacoi was forced off with a calf injury.

He had only made two league starts and played 174 minutes of league football this season before that but the 22-year-old was a man-of-the-match contender and admitted he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

"I would like to have played more football than I did this year but football is a funny old game and things like this happen," he said.

"To come on after 17 minutes at Wembley and help the boys get promotion is what football is all about and I want to enjoy every moment of it.

"Coming on so early did me a favour as I didn't have a choice but to get on with it.

"I did a tackle in the first few seconds I was on and that got me straight into it and after that I enjoyed every second of it.

"It is such an important role and the two central midfielders is the main part of our team. So to come on and be trusted in that in such a big game is brilliant and I thought I did ok and I enjoyed it.

"Ian Holloway and Keith Millen didn't say too much to me, just go and play your game and do your job which we work on in the week.

"All the lads know what we are doing and if anyone needs to come on they can do it and it showed."