Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney was buoyed by the Eagles’ first clean sheet of the season against Burnley and believes there are plenty of positives going forward.

Palace drew 0-0 at home to the Clarets on Saturday in a game twhich saw two men enjoy their second debuts at Selhurst Park, with Wilfried Zaha and new boss Neil Warnock both returning to the club.

There was a scare late on as Julian Speroni sensationally saved a late Scott Arfield penalty, but Delaney believes a share of the spoils was the least Palace deserved.

He said: “We’ll take the point because we could have lost at the end.

“That is two games undefeated now after a good point last week and it was good to get a clean sheet as well.

“Wilf coming back in will only improve us and some of the new lads will gel and that will really help us, so there’s nothing but positives.

“I would have taken another 3-3 draw today because points are what matter in this division, but it’s good to get our first clean sheet and hopefully we can get back into a good rhythm and get back to picking up points like we did last season.”

Last year’s defence was reunited for the first time this season at the weekend and produced in a welcome first clean sheet of 2014-15.

But despite being surrounded by familiar faces again, Delaney has still welcomed the competition provided by the summer arrivals Martin Kelly, Brede Hangeland and Zeki Fryers.

He explained: “It was the back four out there today that was so well drilled - and that is no disrespect to anyone else who has come in because I think the whole situation has disrupted us with the manager going and the personnel in midfield and up front changing a lot as well.

“We were blessed last year to get through from January to the end of the season with no injuries, no suspensions, nobody really reached five yellow cards, so our starting line up barely changed.

“We were incredibly lucky and it will never happen again.

“It is good now we do have that strength and depth so that we have good players ready to come in if, God forbid, anybody does go down.

“We play XI v XI in training and there is genuinely two good elevens out there that I wouldn’t mind starting in either of them.”

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