With Crystal Palace at the bottom of the First Division, manager Steve Kember left the club and Symons, a 33-year-old centre half, was asked to be caretaker-manager.

Symons enjoyed the job and when he handed over the reins to the permanent appointment Ian Dowie, struggling Palace went on an incredible run to the Premiership.

Dowie asked Symons to be his assistant and the rest is history with Palace defying the odds to win promotion. Today they face Liverpool fighting hard to stay in the Premiership after losing four of their last five games.

"I have fallen into it really," said Symons, who turned 34 this month.

"I was keeping my options open about what to do next when the opportunity came up. Coaching interested me but so did the media. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to be an assistant-manager in the Premiership at my age. I know there are a lot of good people with far more experience out of a job."

The bond between Dowie and Symons is strong as it has to be between boss and No2.

Coincidentally, Symons was a witness when Dowie got his first management job at Oldham in 2001.

"It was very strange. I was on holiday in Dubai and Iain was there as well.

"We were having a drink together with Denis Irwin when Iain got the phone call that he had been given the Oldham job," reveals Symons.

"We toasted his success – I never dreamt we would be working as a partnership in the Premiership within three years."

Symons is still doing his coaching badges but says he couldn’t learn off anyone better than Dowie.

"I think he is the most driven man I have ever met," says the former Welsh international.

"He expects a lot from himself and his players and staff as well. We all work hard at the club. I leave my house at ten to seven in the morning and sometimes I’m not back until the same time in the evening, even without going to a reserve game.

"It is far longer hours than I put in as a player but I am not complaining at all. It’s quite a fantastic opportunity for me."

Symons played as recently as last season and he admits the hardest part of the job has been distancing himself from his former team-mates.

"It has taken me a while to get used to it. The players were my mates but Iain sees me as a member of staff and so I have to take a step back from all the banter and being one of the players.

"Iain is one of those managers who loves to coach and get out on the training ground. But I look after the reserves and if we split the first-team to do certain exercises, Iain will take one group and I will take another."

The eloquent Symons thought he might go into the media before the chance came up at Palace. And that has proved useful on occasions when Dowie was unable to speak to the press after matches.

"Iain is very media-friendly but there have been times this season when he has had to fly back north to be with his family straight after games and I have done the press conferences and television," says Symons.

"I have enjoyed doing that – I understand it is another part of the job."

Palace, helped by the goals of Andy Johnson, have surprised many by staying in the fight to retain Premiership status.

"I am convinced we can do it," says Symons. "We knew we would be favourites to go down but we always felt we had a chance.

"The spirit in the club helped us win promotion in the first place. We beat Sunderland with 10 men to get to the play-off final and we thought if we carried on with that attitude we would have a chance.

"We know it’s a very tough league and we are in a tough situation. But the lads have worked ever so hard this season and we will keep going until the end."