Robinson gets media attention

This article about this evening's trialist at Edgar Street appeared in the Guardian on July 8th.

Some transfers come to light only when a footballer is spotted relaxing on the yacht of a rival club's billionaire owner or dining at the favourite restaurant of their chief executive, but a young Crystal Palace player has moved the whole business into the modern era by posting details of a proposed move on his Facebook page.

Ashley-Paul Robinson, an 18-year-old winger who has been with the Championship side for five years, wrote a message on the social networking site announcing that he was having a trial with Fulham. His 194 Facebook friends were not the only people able to read exciting news of his dalliance with the Premier League club, however. The message could be seen by all 2.7m members of the site who have joined its London section, unwittingly breaking the story to supporters of both clubs and to anyone else in the capital interested in reading candid transfer gossip.

Robinson posted a message on Saturday which read: "Ashley-Paul is goin fulham on monday. If i pull dis off im on dis ting." On Sunday he added: "Ashley-Paul is travling 2 Bath With Fulham Fingers Crossed."

After news of the move spread, he posted a new message yesterday afternoon saying: "Ashley-Paul has been very naughty lol!"

Palace, however, have not found Robinson's frankness a laughing matter. "It's pretty embarrassing for the club that this guy is telling the world he's looking to leave the club," said a Palace source. "Perhaps someone should tell him to be a bit more private about what he's putting on the internet."

Robinson has been at Palace since he was a 14-year-old academy player and he broke into the first team at the end of last season, making his first-team debut as a late substitute against Preston North End in March. A month later he was offered a new contract by the club's manager, Neil Warnock, but a parting of the ways now seems inevitable. "We feel it's probably better that he looks elsewhere to further his career," said Warnock.

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