Marcus Bent says Everton will be confronted by an “exciting and attacking” Crystal Palace side at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
Former Toffees striker Bent had his first taste of Premier League football as a Palace player – his debut, coincidentally, coming against Everton – after moving to the south London club from Brentford in January 1998.
He navigated his way to Goodison Park via spells with Port Vale, Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Leicester City, signing for boss David Moyes in summer 2004.
Bent scored his first Everton goal in a 3-1 win at Palace on the second day of the 2004/05 campaign (pictured) – a victory that acted as a springboard for a fantastically productive run of Toffees form, with Moyes’ team winning seven and drawing two of their subsequent 10 top-flight matches.