The preparations for Palace's return to the Premiership could not have gone better, according to Eagles boss Iain Dowie.

Dowie believes the introduction of new training equipment and fitness methods has left his team in great shape, and they are enjoying training again.

Dowie said: "It's been better this pre-season, much better organised, better set out. The nutrition and hydration has been much more thought about and the splitting up of the training has been very bright.

"We are very much a coaching orientated club and we would have done everything we can with the squad to have them very well prepared."

The Palace boss also feels the older players are finding training interesting and varied, and the foreign players have had no problems adjusting to his methods.

Even the Crystal Palace supporters' trust has helped with "Team Dowie's" preparations, after paying for an interactive whiteboard, which along with the edition match analysis system ProZone, will help Dowie to demonstrate his tactics.

Dowie added: "With Prozone being here this year it will help me enormously, plus one or two more coaching aids which we've got, and the interactive whiteboard which the supporters' trust have brought for us which is great and will give me an opportunity to plan my coaching and make sessions a lot better."