Alonso: We got the clean sheet, unfortunately we didn’t punish Brighton
Under-18s Head Coach Javier Alonso reflected on a hard-fought goalless draw with fierce rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in the U18 Premier League South on Saturday morning (21st March) at the Academy, as a youthful Palace side extended their unbeaten run to six matches.
I'm happy with the performance because we played a young team
—Javier Alonso
A Palace team largely made up of Under-16s and first-year scholars produced a disciplined display against a physically imposing Brighton side, who included several Under-21 players.
Despite the visitors’ dominance of possession, the young Eagles defended resolutely, with Lucca Benetton making key saves, while Stuart Oduro and David Angibeaud came closest at the other end in a contest where both sides also struck the woodwork late on.
Alonso was pleased with both the performance and application of his young side.
“I’m happy, to be honest,” he said. “I’m happy with the performance of the team because we are playing now with more young players and I can see that they are competitive. We prepared the game and I think they followed the game plan. We could have won in the last minute, but I think it’s a good point.
“Of course, we always want to win, we play here to win, but I think it’s a good point and I’m happy with the performance. It was competitive, it was a tough game because they came with a strong team, they dropped some players from the Under-21s and they were so strong. We were younger and I’m happy for the boys.”
The youthful nature of the side was in part due to several players stepping up to the Under-21s squad, with Benji Casey, Joel Drakes-Thomas and Charlie Walker-Smith travelling to Liverpool for their Premier League 2 fixture, while U18s mainstay midfielder Euan Danaher was unavailable through injury – handing further opportunities to younger players to step up.
On their impact, Alonso added: “I think we are here to try to develop players, of course. Try to win always, try to do both, but one of the keys of our job is to develop players and push them to the next step. I’m happy because today we started with four Under-16s and we finished with five, alongside some first-year scholars.
“I’m happy for that, they are doing so good and they are always helping the team.”
A draw is fair
—Javier Alonso
Despite Palace having scored 83 goals this season, this performance highlighted their defensive strength, with a well-earned clean sheet against strong opposition.
“We tried to be strong in the defensive line, with all the players involved in defending,” Alonso said. “We got the clean sheet, unfortunately we didn’t punish today, but it’s 0-0. We could win, we could lose, who knows, but I think the draw is fair.”
The result keeps Palace third on 36 points in the U18 Premier League South, heading into a much-needed two-week international break, following a demanding schedule that has seen the side compete across multiple competitions.
“Yes, I think the boys need a break because we are the team with more games in the country,” Alonso said. “We played in the FA Youth Cup, we were in the final of the Premier League Cup, we played with the Under-17s in the semi-finals – there have been a lot of games in a row.
“They are doing so good, we are happy with them and their performance. They are so competitive and we are doing well in all competitions. But for sure, I can see that they are tired – they were tired today – but they gave their best and I’m happy for that.