Alex ready to push Palace

ALEX McCARTHY is out to get one over old club Crystal Palace after telling England goalkeeper Fraser Forster to get used to being on bench duty.

McCarthy finally made his Premier League debut for Southampton in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Manchester United a year and a half after moving to St Mary’s from Palace.

The former England Under-21 player said: “It’s a massive game. With the performance we showed against United, we can build on that, take it into this game and hopefully get the three points.

“I played against Palace in the cup a couple of seasons ago, but to beat them in the Premier League would be nice.”

McCarthy, who made seven Premier League appearances for Palace, added: “I was excited to be back on the pitch. I’ve had a tough couple of years with injury, but the main thing for me is to stay fit and keep pushing. I want to keep improving. We’ve got a good group of goalkeepers here and we’re always pushing each other every day.”

Error-prone Forster’s Old Trafford axing ended a run of 76 consecutive league starts, and Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino has told McCarthy he has to prove he is worthy of keeping the No1 spot.

Pellegrino said: “In football nothing is fixed. Alex has to show his quality on the pitch.”

The Palace players have rallied around Luka Milivojevic after his late failed penalty denied them a momentous win over Manchester City.

“He didn’t have to say anything,” said goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. “We all know it was a fantastic save and we have seen him put the ball in the back of the net so many times.” McCARTHY