Academy roundup: Malachi Boateng scores first senior goal

Academy

12 Oct 2022

It’s been a busy couple of weeks after returning from the international break for Palace’s young Academy players and loanees. Here’s everything you need to know in the Academy round-up.

Soaring Eagles

The first game back for the Under-21s saw them face European opposition in the form of Paris Saint-Germain in the Premier League International Cup. They managed to hit seven past the Parisians in a thrilling 7-3 victory. They followed this up with a 0-1 victory over West Ham United just a few days later to make it 10 games unbeaten in all competitions since the start of the season.

Two defeats followed: the first of which came at the hands of League 1 Bristol Rovers in the Papa John’s Trophy, leaving qualification up for grabs in Tuesday’s game against Plymouth Argyle should results go Palace’s way. The second was a gruelling 3-4 loss at home Everton, where the side nearly fought back from 1-4 down to salvage a point in the 90th minute.

Palace remain top of the league, however.

Meanwhile, Rob Quinn’s Under-18s side have notched six successive wins in a row in all competitions, following a remarkable 3-2 triumph against Chelsea after being two goals down and a 1-2 victory away at Sheffield United in the Under 18 Premier League Cup.

Both sides are fighting at the top of their respective divisions, with the Under-21s top of the Premier League 2 Division 1 on goals scored, ahead of Manchester City, and the Under-18s second, three points behind leaders West Ham.

Loan update

Academy loanees have been in action both at home and abroad in the past few weeks.

In the National League, Reece Hannam kept a clean sheet with Bromley in their 2-0 win over Borehamwood. Meanwhile, Malachi Boateng scored his first senior goal of his career for Queen’s Park in a 2-1 defeat to Greenock Morton.

Jes Rak-Sakyi, Scott Banks, Dan Quick and Rob Street all continued to get minutes on the pitch to further their development. In Belgium, Jake O’Brien and Luke Plange continue to feature for RWD Molenbeek, the latter scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 victory over Beerschot VA.

New deals and awards

Academy forward Asher Agbinone signed his first professional contract with the club this week. He has been at Palace since Under-9s and has progressed through the ranks to feature for the Under-18s this season. He scored his first goal for Quinn’s side in the recent victory over Sheffield United.

Left-back Vonnte Williams won September's Goal of the Month award after his surging solo effort against rivals Brighton & Hove Albion accrued more than 50% of the vote. Check it out in the video below!

Who’s up next?

The Academy aren’t in action this weekend. Next up for the U21s is the crucial clash against Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday, 18th October (KO: 19:00 BST) in the Papa John's Trophy, while the U18s face Leicester City on Saturday, 22nd October (KO: 11:00 BST).

You can keep up to date with both games and more of what’s going on at the Academy by following the official Crystal Palace Academy Twitter account.

Academy
Under-18s
Under-21s

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