By Jonathan Stevenson

Crossley thoroughly enjoyed his three-year spell at Craven Cottage

At 37 years of age, Mark Crossley is enjoying a new lease of life, having left Fulham to join Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on loan.

Crossley, one of only two men to save an FA Cup final penalty in an illustrious career, has been hugely impressed by what he has seen in his short time at Hillsborough.

The Welsh shot-stopper tells BBC Sport why he thinks the club is destined for a bright future and why he wants to stick around for a while longer.

I'm from Barnsley, so the club's on my doorstep and it's really nice to be back for some home cooking.

I'd suffered through injuries at Fulham and having been first-choice for a time last season had fallen down the pecking order and I can't see myself playing first-team football there again.

CROSSLEY FACTFILE Born: Barnsley, 16/06/1969 Clubs: Nottingham Forest, Millwall, Middlesbrough, Stoke, Fulham, Sheffield Wednesday Int'nl: Eight caps for Wales

But I'm grateful to them for letting me leave because they like having me around the place, I'm known as a bit of a character, keeping the dressing-room buzzing and that kind of thing.

Fulham have got some promising young keepers as well as Antti Niemi, but although I enjoyed my time at Craven Cottage it was time to move on and play some games - that's what I'm paid for.

I feel I'm good enough to compete at least at Championship level and maybe even higher and it's great for everyone because I need games, Fulham want me to have games and Wednesday need a keeper.

The manager [Brian Laws] tried to get me when he was at Scunthorpe, but I wasn't quite ready to drop into League One, I thought I still had a bit more left to offer.

I've not got long left as a footballer, so with what I have got left I want to play and make the most of it.

I want to carry on doing this job for as long as I can because I just love playing football.

People say I'm a veteran because I'm 37 now, but I believe as a keeper there's no reason why you cannot keep going until you are 40.

In 12 months, people will be talking about Brian Laws as someone who could take one of the bigger jobs in the country

It's frustrating when people make comments about my age because I looked around and saw Nigel Martyn and David Seaman in the Premiership at 40 and now David James and Jens Lehmann aren't that much younger.

I just think keepers get better with age, you get calmer and become more of a calming influence on your team.

Dave Beasant, my goalkeeping coach at Fulham, was at Forest well into his 40s and he was still one of their best players, so it can be done.

I must admit, the way Wednesday have struggled since they got back into the Championship, before I got here you'd have put any home team playing them as a banker win.

But I'm really impressed by the quality of the squad and hopefully Brian's got a little bit of money to try and improve things further.

They have been known as a struggling team recently, but at the moment the players seem to have that bit of belief that you need to win games.

We've only lost one game out of the last seven and it's very important to get into a winning habit.

I think getting into a play-off spot is a big ask, but more realistically top 10 and then progress from there and with the boys' quality, work-rate and fitness they should finish top 10.

The right-back, Frankie Simek, has impressed me, as well as centre-back Madjid Bougherra who learns things very quickly, and Chris Brunt on the left looks a talented player too.

Brian and I played together at Forest and obviously he knows what I'm all about so I've got nothing to prove to him.

CROSSLEY UNCOVERED Dubbed 'Norm' by Forest fans after character in Cheers Second keeper to save penalty in an FA Cup final, denying Gary Lineker in 1991 Only keeper to save a penalty from Southampton's Matthew Le Tissier

He's a very hands-on manager, a coach, definitely. Brian Clough used to call him coach because he took his badges at such a young age.

He likes to get out on the training ground and do a lot of work on team shape and team play and that's what I like about him.

As a player he had great determination and enthusiasm and as a manager he's the same. Believe me, he's the right man for this club and Sheffield Wednesday will go a lot further with Brian in charge.

He had nearly 10 years with Scunthorpe and did a great job there, stabilising the club. But he was ready for a bigger club and Wednesday is perfect for him.

I think that in 12 months time, people will be talking about Brian Laws as someone who could take one of the bigger jobs in the country, certainly.

I've sat down with Brian and we will definitely try to extend the loan, but I need to sit down with Fulham and chat as they still carry my registration.

It was all done so quickly at the time we didn't have the chance to chance about anything else, but I'm sure we will very soon.

I'd like to stay, because I'm loving playing football again and if I go back to Fulham my opportunities will be restricted.

As for Wednesday, it's a difficult task to take them into the Premiership, but never say never. The league is so unpredictable and it is very tough to get out of, no doubt.

But the club is big and the set-up belongs in the top flight and more importantly, things are going in the right direction.