Last Updated: Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:43
Tony Pulis will face one of his oldest friends in football when Stoke travel to Crystal Palace in the third round of the FA Cup.
Pulis and Palace boss Ian Holloway have known each other for almost 30 years since their youth days at Bristol Rovers and Holloway is godfather to Pulis' son Anthony.
"I've known Ian since he was 12 years old," said the Stoke boss. "His mum and dad were lovely people and we knew their family really well. They're typical Bristolians really, and it's lovely to see him do so well.
"He's done fantastic, not just as a manager but his playing career was fabulous, especially the back end of it when he was playing for QPR in the Premier League."
The pair were in opposite dugouts twice in the 2010/11 season when Blackpool, who Holloway managed until joining Palace in November, spent a year in the Barclays Premier League.
Holloway had the upper hand on those occasions, with Blackpool picking up four points and Stoke one, and he could well return to the top flight in August.
Palace sit third in the npower Championship table, two points adrift of the automatic promotion places, but Pulis was keen to praise the work done by former manager Dougie Freedman.
He said: "I think Ian will be the first one to say this, you've got to give the previous manager a lot of credit for putting the team together.
"Ian's gone in there and I think the majority of it has been the same, Ian's just kept it going. But if they get promoted, it'll be a fantastic achievement for Ian."
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