The colourful Yorkshireman signed a contract until 2010 when he took over in October and promptly declared the Selhurst Park job would be his last in football.

But after turning Palace from relegation strugglers to Premier League hopefuls, a reinvigorated Warnock has his sights firmly set on ruffling feathers in the top flight once more.

"I know I said this would be my last job but I'm loving work so much right now that this isn't necessarily my last job anymore," said the 59-year-old.

"With the squad we have at the club, we have the chance of becoming the success story of the season.

"I would love to manage in the Premier League again and my only thought at this moment in time is that I want to manage in the Premier League with Palace.

"I want to pit my wits against all the managers in the top flight. We want to be competing against the likes of Arsene Wenger - it will be great to go with a bunch of misfits and pit your wits against the best."

Warnock's "misfits" dropped to second from bottom in the Championship shortly after his appointment.

But having been frustrated in the transfer market, the former Sheffield United boss was forced to dip into the youth team - with spectacular results.

Teenagers Victor Moses, Sean Scannell and Lee Hills, along with on-loan Chelsea starlet Scott Sinclair, have all played their part in taking Palace into the play-offs.

The Eagles host Bristol City in Saturday's semi-final first leg with Warnock insisting they should not be frightened of promotion despite Derby's well-documented struggles this term.

"We've got some great youngsters coming through and when you get in the Premier League, you need a group of lads good enough because we couldn't go out and buy a Victor Moses, a Sean Scannell or a Lee Hills," added Warnock in his column for the Croydon Advertiser.

"I would spend whatever money I had, and if I didn't have any money I would make do with what I had.

"But I don't agree with people saying it would be too early for us to go up. Nobody likes to be embarrassed - but you can't say you've gone up too early because the opportunities don't come round that regularly.

"The Premier League doesn't frighten me like it didn't frighten me to come here at the bottom of the Championship."