One of the most highly rated young players in the game, Camberwell born Ben has become a permanent fixture in the Crystal Palace midfield over the last few seasons, despite his tender age.

He made his debut for the Eagles in April 2003 at the age of 17, in a 1-0 defeat against Watford but despite the disappointment of the result that day, Ben's performance was a real plus point and many felt it was the best debut by a youngster at Selhurst Park for many a year.

Since then he has rarely been out of the first team squad after coming through the Palace Academy ranks, where his performances caught the eye of the first team coaching staff at the time.

He has excellent vision and a superb range of passing, but perhaps his greatest strength is his footballing brain which seems mature beyond his years.

Ben is not only capable of finding a killer pass, but he is also a dab hand from set plays and getting into the box in support of the attack.

In the 2003/04 season, he scored his first senior goal for the club against Millwall with a fabulous free-kick. He has since found the net against the Lions a further two times in the 2005/06 campaign, ironic considering the New Den is the nearest club to his south London home.

He was part of the matchday squad at the Millennium Stadium when the Eagles won the play-offs in 2004 and that experience will live long in his memory.

Palace's Premiership campaign saw Ben continue his development and, by his own admission, he played many more games than he expected but he impressed many people with his hard working attitude.

His form also earned him a call-up to the England Under 21 side and he continued to gain international recognition as well as become an almost ever present in the Palace team in 2005/06, which resulted in him being named as the club's 'Young Player Of The Year'.

source: Crystal Palace