Crystal Palace defender Martin Kelly says manager Patrick Vieira is eager to transform their style into a possession-style game.

Kelly was speaking after their friendly win at Walsall.

He told the club's website: “I think if a new manager comes in, everyone has time to adapt and to see what his style of play is.

“Patrick's come in with his coaching staff and he has a big emphasis on us keeping the ball more, and creating more chances with the players we've got in the top third of the field.

“For us, it's about working as a team to get the ball to those guys – our 'danger players' as such. It's exciting knowing who we've got up there at the minute. We'll keep working on it and trying to figure out how to get it to them."

A Wilfried Zaha goal was the difference between the sides in Patrick Vieira's first game in charge.

“I think always the first few pre-season games there is a massive emphasis on fitness," Kelly said, “but the principles of play that we've been trying to get through to ourselves in different blocks of the pitches, we tried putting into play today.

“It's been great working for the past week up at St George's Park with all the top class facilities and using the best pitches there – and finally getting out to play some opposition today in our first friendly.

“We want to get Wilf [Zaha] in the part of the pitch where he's most dangerous, and that's out wide tucking in and getting into one-v-ones with the defenders. He's been great at that, season after season, as well as Jeff [Schlupp] and Jordan [Ayew] out there.

“It's going to take time - it's a new system for us and we know we've got the players, we just need the time to get on board and practice."