TONY Pulis heaped praise on Jason Puncheon, after the Crystal Palace winger bounced back from his penalty horror show to bag the winner against Stoke City on Saturday.
Puncheon skied a terrible spot-kick at Tottenham as Palace went down 2-0 but bounced back to score the only goal of the game against the Potters to wrap up a crucial three points.
"We had no problems with Punch," Pulis said after the game. "He's missed a penalty - albeit by a great distance - but that what happens in life, you get ups and downs.
"The most important thing was for him to get back and on and do what he does best and that is playing football. He's a good player and he can do things and create chances and score goals.
"It's more like riding a bike and falling off the first time, you make sure you get back on that bike quickly and start peddling again."
The win over Pulis' old side takes Palace from the bottom off the table to the heady heights of 16th in the Premier League, with games against fellow strugglers Hull City and West Bromwich Albion still to come in the next few weeks.
He said: "It's a pleasing result for us because we need to win home games.
"To get a clean sheet as well was good, I was really, really pleased."
Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland pulled off a brilliant treble save to deny Joel Ward, Puncheon and Stuart O'Keefe at the end to make it a nervy few last minutes, and Pulis admitted to being as anxious as the fans were.
"Butland's saves at the end made it more tense," he said.
"I was hoping and praying we'd get a second goal so we could relax a little bit but the lad made some great saves at the end.
"I felt more nervous in the last 10 minutes or quarter of an hour when they pushed (Ryan) Shawcross up front and played balls into the box.
"You're always hoping and praying that one of those long balls doesn't drop to someone and someone scores. Luckily for us it didn't."
"Unfortunately for us we broke ever so well at times and created two great opportunities and should have come away with more goals.
"This is not the defining moment, the defining moment is in the future.
"What we've got to do is make sure we keep our feet on the ground."
With the transfer window open for just two weeks more and no new faces in yet, Pulis again admitted he was keen to get some players in quickly, but admitted the deals are left with technical director Iain Moody and chairman Steve Parish.
"I'm hoping and praying we can get some players in - we need to bring some players in and that will strengthen us.
"I think the lads are waiting for a few to come in as well, then we push on from there.
"We'll give it a good crack as we have done since I walked into the club.
"It's up to the chairman and Iain to bring them in."
The Stoke fans greeted their former boss with banners and chants and Pulis, who spent a decade as Potters boss, reciprocated the love.
"It certainly was surreal for me, we [my family and I] had a wonderful ten years together with Stoke.
"I enjoyed it immensely - wonderful people there and wonderful times."
