In the first of eight fierce derby matches this season, Palace's U18 side fell to a heavy defeat at the training ground in Copers Cope Road, Beckenham.
The young Eagles will face Millwall and Brighton home and away in both the development and U18 leagues this season, but it did not go to plan this morning as Millwall opened the season with a thumping 4-1 victory against Palace. England U16 international Mandela Egbo scored a superb free-kick on his 16th birthday to get the goal for Palace.
Academy manager Ben Smith told FYP during pre-season that the club would be in the category 2 league this season, with provisions to look towards achieving category 1 status later in the season. Palace are in the Southern section of the Category 2 U18 league alongside clubs such as Charlton, QPR, Brentford, Swansea & Cardiff.
We were allowed to play in the Category 1 league last season because at the time the fixtures were arranged, we had applied for Cat 1 status but had not yet had our audit / grading performed.
Palace included seven youngsters who had not even reached their 17th birthday in the squad, with a lot of new players in the U18s this season. Some have moved up from our U16s whilst some have been picked up after their release from two of the top academies in the country – Fulham (overall U18 league champions for last 3 seasons) and Chelsea.
Gary Jones describes the match and provides some short analysis:
We have a lot of lads in the U18s who are only just 16 years old, so it may take them a while to adjust to playing at the U18 level.
Palace team U18 was:
GK Tom King
RB Madela Egbo
LB Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong
CB Jamal Howlett-Mundle
CB Kieran Kinda-John (Doug Wright)
CM Will Hoare
CM Elijah Gabsi
LM Reise Allassani (Kyle Spence)
RM Javen Palmer
SS Jake Grey
CF Ben Pattie (Elliott List)
2 mins – nice Gabsi cross field pass inside left back enables Palmer to win a corner which keeper catches
5 – Egbo intercepts ball near half way line and drives into pen area before good last gasp tackle by Wall number 4 thwarts him
6 – overhead kick by Wall support striker drifts harmlessly wide from edge of pen area
11 – Wall RB goes thru back of Allassani and is booked
12 – Grey slips ball wide to Palmer who cuts inside LB but his shot is easily saved
16 – lovely turn half way in Palace side by Wall number 4 leaves 2 for dead and gives him room to fire a thunder bolt over from 25 yards
21 – GOAL – Wall CF Jamie ? lashes ball into top of net from 15 yards out on half turn giving King no chance
29 – Wall’s attacking mid Fred Onyedinma shows off his skills to create space wide left that enables him to float far post cross that just evades onrushing wide right player
33 – Grey picks up ball half way in Wall half. Uses dummy runners to enable him to dribble into area and fire off strong shot that Keeper does well to push around post
39 – good work wide left by Grey, fires low cross which beats keeper for pace and Pattie volleys over empty net from 5 yards at as ball flies at him at pace
Skipper Kinda-John limped off at HT. Egbo moved to CB and Doug Wright on at RB.
47 – Hoare fires over a shot from 22 yards
50 – Grey cuts in from right and curls shot with left foot across goal that Wall keeper does very well to save as looks to be heading into far corner
52 – Brilliant skills by Wall’s Fred Onyedinma down left, gets to byline and pulls ball back to Wall CF Jamie? Who hits bar when looked easier to score
60 – good feet by Gabsi creates shooting chance for Grey who hits it wide
Pattie off, Palmer moves to CF, Elliott List comes on wide right
62 – lovely work wide right by Grey, gets to byline, low cross evades both the keeper and onrushing Palmer
63 – GOAL – good work yet again by Fred Onyedinma enables Wall CF Jamie? To fire home from close range
66 – GOAL – hat trick for Wall CF Jamie? As right winger corner is hit to back post where he volleys home a low shot that creeps under King from 15 yards out
Spence on for Allassani
70 – GOAL – Nice dribble by Spence, beats man, plays ball into List who is fouled on edge. Egbo curls a 20 yard FK into top corner at pace giving keeper no chance
75 – brilliant King save from point blank header from a corner
78 – GOAL – Wall number 4 scores a very similar FK to one Egbo scored
86 – yet more good work by Onyedinma whose cross is half cleared, then returned into box where Wall CF Jamie? Slots wide when should have scored his 4th
90 – Egbo shoots a low FK narrowly wide
91 – Palmer diving header drifts wide
Deserved win for Wall. Margin flattered them a little. Their schoolboy of year from last season Fred Onyedinma was brilliant.
Stand out for Palace by a mile was Egbo. Only 16 this week. Great at RB early on and getting forward well from there. Equally good in 2nd half when played CB, where won stuff in air as well as on ground.
Liked look of List when he came on as sub. Very pacey.
Allassani very ineffective. Not a good day for him.
Gabsi did well in midfield without getting too much support from his colleagues!
Grey did well in spells.
Not too surprising that defence a bit leaky. Two very young full backs (barely 16) and new CB combination.
The U16s drew one all with Millwall.