Crystal Palace Reserves enjoyed a comfortable victory at the Dripping Pan on Wednesday night, with hat tricks from Kieron Cadogan and Nathanial Pinney handing them a 6-0 win.

Against the backdrop of the pictueresque Sussex countryside, Lewes fielded a young side against a Palace Reserves side boasting an array of players with Championship experience. There were starts for Lee Hills, Kieron Cadogan, Simon Thomas, Scott Flinders and Johnny Ertl, who captained the side, while Joe Goldsmith was brought in to replace James Comley who has been featuring for the first team.

Nevertheless, it was the young Lewes side that had the better of the opening exchanges, taking advantage of some lacklustre Palace football to create a decent chance on eight minutes with a well constructed counter attack.

The ball was played out to the left flank and taken to the byline before being pulled back for their striker. Ten yards out, he only needed to connect with it to at least test Flinders in the Palace goal, but he mis-jusdged the line of the ball and instead executed a perfect airshot.

The unexpected beginning to the match was an obvious shock to the system and was a wake up call for Gary Issott's team.  But it also appeared to help them settle into their game and, on the quarter of an hour mark, they created their first chance of the match.

Kieron Cadogan combined neatly with Simon Thomas to set himseld up with a shooting opportunity eight yards out on the angle. But, as the young winger let the ball run across him for his right boot, the Lewes defender managed to make up the ground and block the shot.

But Palace had their opener four minutes later. A brilliant cross-field long ball by Lee Hills found Cadogan on the right wing. Two Lewes players quickly closed him down but he managed to hold off one, take it round the other and play the ball into the feet of Thomas on the edge of the box.

Thomas held the ball up well before returning it to the young winger, who had continued his run, and he hit a first time left footed strike into the bottom corner for his first of the evening. 

Ten minutes later, it was two.

James Dayton received the ball in his own half with his back to the Lewes goal. With two players closing him down he flicked the ball over his head to N'Diaye, who gave it back to him with a clipped pass into the centre of the pitch.

As the ball bounced, Dayton sprayed a pass wide to Cadogan. With the ball threatening to bounce awkwardly, Cadogan controlled it well with his head to take it into the box, before hitting a brilliant right footed strike across the keeper and into the far bottom corner.

At this stage it was all Palace, with Lewes providing little more than competent sparring partners for the Eagles forwards.

Shortly after Cadogan's second, Simon Thomas should have extended the lead when he was put clean through one-on-one.

A speculative long clearance from Hills was not cleared by the Lewes centre-half, allowing Thomas to get in behind and hone in on goal.

The Lewes' keeper came out quickly and made himself big, closing down the Palace striker's angle. Thomas tried to clip the ball over of him but his shot cannoned into the keeper's chest and bounced to safety.

Shortly after the half hour mark Cadogan had another good chance to extend Palace's lead. Winning the ball back in the Lewes half he cut inside and played the ball into the feet of Nathaniel Pinney inside the box.

The striker gave it back to him with a neat backheel, but it gave him a tight angle to shoot from and his effort was cleared by the legs of the keeper. Hills tried to follow up but his shot flew over the bar.

James Dayton then had Palace's final chance of the first half. A swift counter attacking move was started by captain Johnny Ertl when he played a long ball into the path of Thomas out in a wide left position.

Thomas ran the ball into the box and pulled it back to an open Dayton who, from ten yards out, screwed his shot over the bar.

During the break Gary Issott made his first change, with trialist Daniel Johnson coming on for Alassane N'Diaye in a holdling midfield role.

The substitution had no discerning effect on the team shape thought with it being a like-for-like swap and the second half was allowed to continue where the first left off, with Palace looking dangerous every time they went forward.

A minute and half into the second period and the away side had already carved out their first opportunity.

Lewes continually failed to clear their lines from a Palace cross and Johnson was able to play the ball to Thomas, who escaped his marker and pulled the ball back into the box.

A Lewes defender managed to get his head on it, but only succeeded in clearing it to the edge of the box. The ball fell to midfielder Joe Goldsmith and he was able to chest it down and unleash a decent strike over the bar.

Palace though got their third and fourth goal of the evening within the space of a minute . Cadogan got the first for his hat trick and Pinney managed his first of the evening to make it 4-0.

The first came from another corner that was again not cleared comfortably by Lewes. Johnny Ertl picked it up inside the box and played it out wide to Dayton.

The winger then squirmed past his marker and delivered a chipped cross to the back post where Pinney was able to control it and get a shot away. However he seemed to hit the top of the ball and it bobbled into the path of Cadogan inside the six yard box, who was left with the simple task of taping it into the net.

Almost immediately from the re-start Palace made it 5-0 as provider turned goalscorer.

From the kick off Johnson quickly closed down their midfielder before managing to nick it off him on the far side of the pitch and play a quick ball to Dayton. The winger had to think fast and flick the ball over a Lewes player to Pinney.

The young striker then shrugged off one player before knocking it past the next and running onto it inside the box. The keeper came out to close down the angle but he was able to hold his nerve and calmly stroke the ball past him and into the far post.

Lewes managed their first chance of the half on 70 minutes when Jerry Nnamani played a lazy ball to Johnny Ertl. The free ball was pounced upon by the Lewes striker, who was forced to unleash a quick shot on goal. But, from 20 yards out, and needing to get it away as quickly as possible, he screwed it wide of Flinders' right hand post.

But it turned out to be Lewes' only chance for the rest of the match as Palace quickly restored order with a guilt edged chance up the other end.

A long ball from Ertl again found a sizeable gap between the Lewes centre halves in which Thomas was able to run onto. He took a touch to take into the box and then attempted to execute a deft chip over the keeper, but succeeded only in placing it over the bar.

Ten minutes from time Pinney got his second and Palace's fifth when a long goalkick from Flinders ran all the way through the Lewes defence and into his path.

As the keeper came out to challenge him, he managed to lift the ball up and over him and into the back of the net.

The win was rounded off two minutes later as another long ball proved the undoing of the home side.

Ertl was given the ball deep inside his own half from a throw in and, with noone closing him down he was able to look up and play a long ball to the edge of Lewes' box. 

As the ball dropped from the sky, there was no challenge from a defender and Pinney was able control it with a superb first touch, then take another to afford him some space before firing past the keeper with a low volley into the bottom corner. 

The victory could have been greater still when Palace hit the woodwork twice in succession late on.

First, Hills was found in a wide position by a fantastic Johnson long range pass. The left back had enough time and space to cut into the box and play a fast paced cross across goal that took a deflection and ballooned onto the underside of the bar.

And then, a minute later, Goldsmith was allowed the space to run the ball from the half way line right across to the left hand side of the box, cut in on his right foot and aim a low drive to the far corner that hit the bottom of the post.

Exclusive highlights of this match will be on Palace World later on today along with an exclusive interview with Palace Reserve manager Gary Issott.

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Team 

Crystal Palace: 1. Scott Flinders; 2. Michael Abnett; 3. Lee Hills; 4. Joe Goldsmith; 5. Johnny Ertl; 6. Jerry Nnamani; 7. Kieron Cadogan; 8. Alassane N'Diaye; 9. Nathaniel Pinney; 10. Simon Thomas; 11. James Dayton

Subs: 12. Warren Morgan; 14. Brendan Kiernan; 15. Daniel Johnson