"As soon as the draw started, I was convinced that we were going to draw Leeds," he said.

"It made me laugh when the names came out. And at Elland Road as well. I couldn't have been happier."

Delighted though Derry was, his perceptive instinct failed to warn him of the sting in the story's tail.

On Saturday afternoon, the midfielder was sent off for a second bookable offence 52 minutes into Crystal Palace's goalless draw against Burnley.

With a flash of his red card, Iain Williamson, the Berkshire referee, brought on a suspension that will estrange Derry from Elland Road this evening.

"From Palace's point of view, it might be better for them that I miss a Carling Cup tie instead of a league game," said Derry.

"But for personal and selfish reasons, this was a massive night for me and I'm absolutely gutted. The only danger I could see was that I might get injured against Burnley and be missing tonight but it never crossed my mind that I'd get myself suspended.

"Playing at Elland Road would have meant so much to me for obvious reasons. I said my goodbyes pretty quickly when I left the club and I desperately wanted to turn out there again. The red card's a hard one to swallow."

Derry's enthusiasm for the second-round tie, and particularly its location, was understandable.

For three years he was a prominent figure in Leeds United's squad, and a popular one at that, but his contribution was scarcely acknowledged on his departure from the club in January.

The 30-year-old did not ask for a guard of honour to see him out of Elland Road but he might have expected more than the curt farewell he was afforded by Dennis Wise after his transfer to Palace on January 22.

"He's gone now," said Wise bluntly, exposing the extent to which his relationship with his former vice-captain had broken down.

Derry had known for some time that his time with Leeds was at an end, but he regretted the fact that his exit was made so quickly and so quietly.

"The sad thing about the transfer was that I never got the chance to say cheerio to all the people I'd got to know over the years," he said.

"I'm not really talking about the players because you always keep in touch with guys from the dressing room. I'm thinking more about the groundstaff, the stewards and the lads on security. All the people you saw and chatted to every time you walked into Elland Road.

"I'd also have liked the opportunity to say a proper thank you to the fans, but it really was a case of signing the deal with Palace one day and then move out of our home in Harrogate the next. A

lthough I was thrilled to be going back to Palace, it wasn't easy to break those ties so quickly.

"We loved Harrogate and Yorkshire so much that we'll move back there in the future, probably when I'm retired, and it would have been great to have the chance to play at Elland Road again.

"I don't know what sort of reception I would have got but I hope the fans realise that I always tried to value the Leeds shirt as players should."

The contentious nature of Derry's exit from Leeds has been discussed at length, and the matter is something which he is happy to leave behind him eight months on.

The seeds of the departure were sown finally by his decision to reject an urgent request from Wise to return to Leeds from a loan at Palace on New Year's Day amid a serious shortage of midfielders at Elland Road.

Derry's refusal infuriated Wise, but United's former manager had previously taken the questionable decision to send the midfielder to a Championship club on loan following his recovery from a troublesome ankle injury.

Derry doubted that the attempt to recall him was proof that his long-term prospects under Wise were improving, and he opted to remain with Palace on January 1, who by then were drawing up plans to sign him permanently.

That deal was completed less than a week before Wise resigned as manager of Leeds.

"Some of the Leeds fans will respect my decision to stay at Palace and some will probably resent it, but I stand by my choice," Derry said.

"I know why Dennis wanted me back at Elland Road on New Year's Day, and only he and I know what was said between us on the phone. I don't think there's any need to bring that into the open.

"I just felt it was right to show loyalty to Crystal Palace and to a manager who wanted me to be involved and had confidence in my ability. Neil (Warnock) showed faith in me and Dennis didn't.

"It's much easier to warm to a manager who actually wants you. Eight months down the line I can say I did the right thing."

Derry's continuing interest in Leeds was displayed by his appearance in the crowd at Wembley for last season's League One play-off final between Leeds and Doncaster Rovers, but his transfer to Selhurst Park has been the upwards step he hoped for.

Palace qualified for the Championship play-offs last season, losing over two legs to Bristol City, and Mark Hudson's move to Charlton on a free transfer in May led Warnock to name Derry as the club's captain.

As thrilled as the midfielder was to see his present club drawn against his former in the Carling Cup, it still disappoints Derry that Palace will not – barring another suitable cup draw – play Leeds twice this season.

"I went to the play-off final and sat in with the Leeds fans, and I felt so sorry for everyone involved, the players included," he said.

"It was a bit like 2006 because the Leeds team didn't really turn up on the day, but it's harsh to judge their season on that.

"It was magnificent as a whole and I left Wembley with the feeling that overall Leeds deserved better. But that's not to take anything away from Doncaster – they were well worth a place in the Championship.

"I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but the number of Leeds supporters who turned up for the final was unbelievable. They travel in ridiculous numbers and I knew I was leaving a great club when I signed for Palace.

"But the time was right for me to go, and I've been lucky to come to a club who are ambitious in their own way.

"I don't think the supporters at Palace would say that they're as big a club as Leeds, but we were a couple of games away from the Premiership last season and I think we're on for a good year again.

"So often when players leave Leeds they end up taking sideways or backwards steps and hitting a downwards slope.

"I've still got big targets at Palace and the next challenge for us is to get into the third round of the Carling Cup.

"We're coming to Elland Road to win – it's just a shame that I'll be a frustrated spectator. It clearly wasn't meant to be."

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