“He’s got a lot to thank me for, put it that way!”, jokes Scott Guyett in Crystal Palace’s media centre, just across the car park from his usual office as Head of Sport Science and Strength & Conditioning.
The man in question with a lot to thank him for is Joel Ward, the Eagles’ long-serving right back and former Portsmouth protégé.
Back in 2008, Ward was a young prospect only in his first year of professional football before embarking on a loan spell with AFC Bournemouth. Fast forward just five years and Ward would be sending his latest club - Crystal Palace - into the top tier of English football having acrobatically cleared the ball from the line in the 2013 Play-Off final to earn promotion on his 25th appearance that season.