Crystal Palace U18

English U18 Premier League Cup

Crystal Palace

Premier League

Sunderland

Stadium of Light

Chelsea

Selhurst Park

Nottingham Forest

The City Ground

Sheffield United U18

Total shots

Shots on target

Corners

Passes completed

Free kicks

Offsides

### SUMMARY:

- 13: Aaron Reid’s low drive is denied by Harry Whitworth.
- 19: Riley McLachlan’s shot is well saved by Whitworth.
- 27 – GOAL: Makai Bernard-Ferguson whips a scintillating effort into the far corner to give Palace the lead.
- 30: Oduro’s curling effort is parried by United ‘keeper Venners.
- 43: Angibeaud headers narrowly wide.
- HT: Sheffield United 0-1 Palace Under-18s
- 46: Angibeud squares up his marker and stings Venners' palms at his near post.
- 52 – GOAL: Chuks Okoli volleys home close-range to double the lead.
- 58 – GOAL: Sam Colechin halves the deficit for Sheffield.
- 70: Casey is bundled over trying to latch onto a lofted pass in-behind.
- 80: Casey’s sliding effort is saved one-on-one, before the ball is crucially scrambled clear with Danaher ready to pounce.
- 84 – GOAL: Judd’s inswinging corner sees Casey shoulder into the net.
- FT: Sheffield United Under-18s 1-3 Palace Under-18s

Palace U18s stepped away from league action this week as attention turned to the Premier League Cup, with Group D wide open and everything still to play for.

The young Eagles last outing in the competition produced a thrilling 3-3 draw with Manchester City. 

With all four sides – Palace, Chelsea, City and Sheffield United – level on one point, the clash loomed as a crucial opportunity to seize control in a finely balanced group.

Javier Alonso made just one change from the side that suffered a 3-1 league defeat to Aston Villa last week, David Angibeaud replaced Donte Martin out wide.

With rain lashing down, wind swirling, and autumn leaves dancing across the pitch, Palace were met with truly testing conditions in South Yorkshire – a proper English welcome for Alonso, a far cry from the sunshine of Madrid.

After a relatively quiet opening 15 minutes, it was the hosts who registered the first effort on target.

Sheffield’s Aaron Reid fired a low, driven effort towards goal, but Harry Whitworth got down smartly to make a sharp save.

Moments later, Whitworth was called into action again, producing another fine stop to deny Riley McLachlan – the Palace ‘keeper showing his class as Sheffield briefly adapted quicker to the stormy conditions.

Despite the young Blades enjoying a spell of attacking pressure, Alonso’s side held firm with impressive defensive concentration, showing maturity and resilience at the back in the face of swirling wind and rain.

It was from this solid foundation that Palace began to build. A slick move from deep began with some strong hold-up play from Stuart Oduro, who showed great power to swivel away from pressure and carry the ball forward.

He found Benji Casey in space, who picked the perfect pass to release Makai Bernard-Ferguson down the right channel.

The winger cut inside onto his favoured left foot and whipped a superb strike into the far corner – leaving Alfie Venners with no chance. That made it four goals for Bernard-Ferguson this campaign, and it was a beauty.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="art" dir="ltr">😮‍💨</p>&mdash; Crystal Palace F.C. Academy (@CPFCAcademy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CPFCAcademy/status/1974425032287019106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With the breakthrough secured, momentum shifted decisively. Oduro almost doubled the lead minutes later from a near-identical position, his curling effort forcing Venners into a save to push it behind for a corner.

As the match entered its final third, Alonso’s young Eagles turned the screw. With confidence flowing, they began to find joy with lofted balls in behind and dangerous deliveries into the box, looking to make their dominance count in the closing stages.

Having survived a plethora of threatening crosses, Sheffield found themselves under real pressure as Charlie Walker-Smith’s long throw caused chaos, sparking a series of pinball-like scrambles as Palace pushed for a second.

On the stroke of half-time, the young Eagles carved out two excellent chances.

Slick, incisive passing saw the ball worked sharply from left to right around the edge of the box, before captain Jasper Judd skipped past a defender and drove into the area, arrowing a low ball across the face of goal that was desperately cleared.

Moments later, David Angibeaud rose well to meet a cross, directing his header just wide of the bottom-left corner. Going into the break, it was Bernard-Ferguson’s goal that separated the two sides.

The second half kicked off in breathless, end-to-end fashion – and it was Palace who struck first. Angibeaud set the tone early, isolating his marker on the flank, driving into the box, and unleashing a fierce strike that stung the palms of Venners at his near post.

A crucial last-ditch tackle from Khyan Frazer-Williams inside his own box proceeded to spark a rapid counter-attack. A flowing move followed, ending with Oduro's pull back winning the corner. 

From the resulting delivery, Judd’s inswinger was helped back across goal at the far post by Casey, and Chuks Okoli reacted quickest to stab – or rather studd – home a close-range volley, capping off a bright start to the half from Palace.

United came inches from pulling one back. A heavy touch from Sean Somade inadvertently set up Jaydon Maklira, who ran onto the loose ball and crashed a powerful effort flush against the crossbar – a real let-off for Palace.

But just before the hour mark, the hosts did halve the deficit, albeit firmly against the run of play. Sam Colechin’s delivery from the right flank – aided by a hefty gust from Storm Amy – caught everyone off guard and flew straight into the far corner.

With 70 minutes on the clock, the pendulum swung back in the young Eagles’ favour. Casey, chasing Euan Danaher’s wonderfully weighted straight lofted pass in-behind, was bundled over by Keehan Barrett-Underwood –  excellent defending.

Soon after, Judd’s threatening inswinger picked out the England youth international once again, forcing Venners into an excellent full-stretch save. However, the effort was adjudged offside. 

As the weather improved and the sun reappeared, United naturally dominated possession. That said, aside from a few crosses comfortably held by Whitworth, they failed to create any clear chances thanks to Palace’s resolute defence.

Breaking at pace with ten minutes to go, Danaher found Casey, whose heavy touch set up the sliding effort, an alive Venners made the stop, and the ball was crucially scrambled clear with Danaher ready to pounce.

In the dying embers of normal time, Casey put the result beyond doubt with Palace’s third. Once again, it was Judd’s inswinging corner causing havoc – quickly becoming a key weapon in Alonso’s attacking armoury.

The delivery evaded the goalkeeper, who won’t want to see it back, but Casey was alert – darting away from his marker to gamble at the back post and bundle it into the empty net with his shoulder. A poacher’s finish, and his 12th of the campaign.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">84: Judd&#39;s inswinger pays dividends once more as Casey shoulders into the back of the net!</p>&mdash; Crystal Palace F.C. Academy (@CPFCAcademy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CPFCAcademy/status/1974439215955124287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Four minutes of added time were played, and the hosts had a golden chance to spark a late scare. Charlie Butcher found space just a few yards out, but fellow Charlie – Walker-Smith – did just enough to put him off, with the header drifting the wrong side of the bar.

The result sees Palace top Group D on goal difference, boasting a stronger defensive record. City sit level with us on 4 points, while Chelsea and Sheffield both have 1 point after two games.

Next up for Alonso’s young Eagles is Fulham at Copers Cope on Saturday, 18th October (11:00 BST) after the international break.

**Palace Under-18s:** Whitworth, Judd, Frazer-Williams, Walker-Smith, Somade, Okoli, Oduro (McDonald, 89’), Danaher, Casey (Anderson, 89’), Angibeaud (Martin, 64’), Bernard-Ferguson (Greaves, 89’).

**Subs not used:** Mason.

**Sheffield Under-18s:** Venners, Colechin, Barrett-Underwood, Dearden, Parr-Pearson, Hough, McLachlan (Bulmer, 83’), Reid, Abraha, Makhalira, Hay (Sidibe, 55’).

**Subs not used:** Grainger, Morrison, Adams.**

Crystal Palace Under-18s returned to winning ways with a 3-1 away victory in the Premier League Cup at Category 2 side Sheffield United on Saturday morning, despite tough Storm Amy conditions. Makai Bernard-Ferguson’s curling strike opened the scoring, Chuks Okoli doubled the lead early in the second half, before Sam Colechin pulled one back for United. Jasper Judd’s dangerous corners caused problems again, with Benji Casey’s close-range finish sealing the win and top spot in Group D.

U18s Report: Palace return to winning ways with comfortable win to top Premier League Cup group

Sheffield United U18 v Crystal Palace U18 (2025-10-04)

This game will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday morning (11:00 BST) - [**click HERE to learn more about Palace TV+ and subscribe today!**](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/palace-tv/palace-tv-plus/)

### Eagle-Eyed Review

Crystal Palace U18s take a break from league action this week as attention turns to the Premier League Cup – and with Group D wide open, there's everything to play for.

All four teams – Palace, Chelsea, Manchester City and Sheffield United – sit level on one point apiece, making the clash with the Blades a potential group-shaper.

Javier Alonso’s side were dealt their second league defeat of the season in a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa last Saturday – a rare blip in an otherwise electric run of form. Prior to that, the young Eagles had scored 26 goals across six games, including emphatic 8-0 wins over Birmingham and Ipswich.

Palace’s last outing in the competition saw an entertaining six-goal thriller with Manchester City. In the ultimate game of two halves, Palace led 3-0 at the break, only for the Citizens to seal a stunning second-half fightback to see the sides share the points.

Only the top team in each group and the best-placed runner-up progress to the quarter-finals – so every point now matters.

### Sheffield United

Sheffield United currently sit 13th in the U18 Professional Development League. The Blades have picked up seven points from their opening six matches, with results swinging between convincing wins and narrow defeats.

After a heavy loss on opening day to Bristol City, they responded well with a 3-1 win over Colchester United – a game lit up by a spectacular volley from Siem Eyob-Abraha, assisted by debutant Cole Hay.

In their first Premier League Cup fixture, Sheffield showed grit and spirit, leading 3-1 on the hour mark before being pegged back by a late hat-trick from Sol Gordon in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

That was followed by a 5-2 loss to Bournemouth, and a six-goal second half in a wild 3-3 draw with QPR – Sheffield’s games certainly aren’t boring!

They returned to winning ways against Millwall, securing a 3-0 result at Calmont Road thanks to second-half goals from Hay, Charlie Bulmer and Eyob-Abraha.

The forward continued his excellent form with a brace against Watford, though it wasn’t enough to avoid a narrow 3-2 defeat. Most recently, they claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Fleetwood Town.

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPLqZiqDEaF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPLqZiqDEaF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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### Likely Line-Ups

Betts, Colechin, Barrett-Underwood, Hough, Parr-Pearson, Reid, Hay, Makhalira, Eyob-Abraha, Morrison

### Team News

Defensive duo Alfie Hough and Keehan Barrett-Underwood have become the latest youngsters to put pen to paper on first professional contracts at the club.

Both joining United out of Liverpool's academy in recent years, Hough has gone on to become a mainstay at the centre of the defence, captaining the team this season and first appearing at Under 21s level last season.

Barrett-Underwood joined towards the end of last season ahead of beginning his scholarship in the summer, also making an Under 21s debut earlier this month at Vicarage Road against Watford.

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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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### Pre-Match Analysis

United have conceded 18 times in eight matches across all competitions so far in the 2025/26 season.

The club have also only managed to keep two clean sheets, which came against Millwall and Fleetwood Town, both in the Premier League U18 Professional Development League.

That said, United have scored a respectable 16 goals.

### Key Player - Siem Eyob-Abraha

Siem Eyob-Abraha boasts an impressive 10 goals in eight games this season, while also contributing a number of assists.

The skilful forward joined the United academy as a scholar 12 months ago from Manchester United, where he'd impressed at Under 16s level.

Abraha hit the ground running with United, regularly contributing goals and assists before an injury curtailed his first full campaign.

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### The Gaffer – Jim O’Brien

Hailing from Dumbarton, Scotland, Jim O’Brien began his career as a central midfielder in Celtic’s youth system. Following several loans that included Dunfermline Athletic and Dundee United, O’Brien signed for Motherwell.

Having impressed enough to earn selection for the PFA Scotland team of the year, O’Brien made the move to Championship outfit Barnsley in 2010, where he turned out 123 times.

The midfielder completed a move to Coventry City ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, before a loan to Scunthorpe United induced a permanent switch to Shrewsbury Town.

His time at the Shrews was short-lived however, and that January he was loaned to Ross County.

O’Brien saw out the final few years of his career with Bradford and Notts County – he was placed in interim charge of the latter when Luke Williams departed for Swansea in early 2024.

He was released by the club after the conclusion of the 23/24 season and appointed Head Coach of United after Matt Thorpe departed the role.

### Match Details

**Sheffield United Under-18s v Crystal Palace Under-18s**

- Saturday, 4th October
- 11:00 BST
- U18 Premier League Cup
- Sheffield United Football Academy
- [Watch LIVE on Palace TV+](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/palace-tv/)

### How to Follow

This game will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday morning (11:00 BST) - [**click HERE to learn more about Palace TV+ and subscribe today!**](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/palace-tv/palace-tv-plus/)

**Can’t watch live?** Stay up to date with live commentary on our [**Academy X (Twitter) page**](https://x.com/CPFCAcademy) and look out for the full match report on our [**Academy news section**](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/academy/) shortly after the final whistle.

Crystal Palace Under-18s travel to South Yorkshire on Saturday (4th October), aiming to return to winning ways as they face Sheffield United in the Premier League Cup (KO: 11:00 BST) – Get the full lowdown on the tie below!

English U18 Premier League CupSheffield United Football Academy

News & Video

As it Happened

Match reports

Match reports

U18s Report: Palace return to winning ways with comfort...

Upcoming palace games

Match Blog

Starting lineup

Substitutes

Starting lineup

Substitutes

Team stats

Match reports

Match reports

U18s Report: Palace return to winning ways with comfort...

Upcoming palace games

Starting lineup

Substitutes

Starting lineup

Substitutes

Team stats

Match Blog

Sheffield United U18 1 Crystal Palace U18 3

English U18 Premier League CupSheffield United Football Academy

News & Video

As it Happened

Match reports

Match reports

U18s Report: Palace return to winning ways with comfort...

Upcoming palace games

Match Blog

Starting lineup

Substitutes

Starting lineup

Substitutes

Team stats

News & Video

Lineups

Stats

Scores

Blog

Match reports

Match reports

U18s Report: Palace return to winning ways with comfort...

Upcoming palace games

Starting lineup

Substitutes

Starting lineup

Substitutes

Team stats

Match Blog