Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Leicester City in the Under-18s Premier League South, Raihaan Anderson reflected on his return to the starting XI, Palace’s strong cup runs and the challenge awaiting the young Eagles this weekend.
The match will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday (21st February), with coverage beginning at 11:45 GMT ahead of a 12:00 GMT kick-off – click HERE to find out more and subscribe.
Supporters can follow live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page, with a full match report and reaction published shortly after full-time in our Academy news section.
Highlights and extended reaction* will be available on Palace TV+.*
It was just about timing
—Raihaan Anderson
Since coming off the bench in the 5–0 victory over Birmingham City, Anderson has made back-to-back starts – featuring in the 1–1 top-of-the-table draw with Tottenham Hotspur and the 3–1 Premier League Cup win over Peterborough, which secured Palace’s place in the semi-finals.
“It’s been good,” said Anderson. “I’ve been starting in a new position for me, left wing-back. I prefer playing further forward, somewhere more attacking, but I feel like I’m still doing what I do best and just trying to give the team my all.”
Asked if he feels he’s in a good moment personally, Anderson kept his response simple: “Yeah, I’d say so.”
Earlier in the season, opportunities came mainly from the bench, but the young Eagle used that period to focus on his development.
“It was just about timing,” he explained. “I had time to work on myself and try to become a better player. It’s all in due time.”
Anderson was also full of praise for Head Coach Javier Alonso.
“He’s a good coach. He teaches the team a lot. And we win games with him – that’s the main thing. That’s the most important thing.”
Palace’s 3–1 victory over Peterborough saw Donte Martin’s quick-fire brace turn the game on its head and book a place in the Premier League Cup semi-finals.
Reflecting on the performance, Anderson admitted there was room for improvement.
“I think we could have won by more. We just weren’t finishing our chances and maybe we could’ve played better overall. It was one of those scrappy away games. But we won, and that’s the main thing.”
We definitely feel ready
—Raihaan Anderson
With Palace now competing strongly in multiple competitions – including reaching the latter stages of both the Premier League Cup and FA Youth Cup – confidence is high within the group.
“Everyone’s buzzing,” Anderson said. “We know we can do better things, get to finals. We believe we can win it. Everyone’s happy.”
Palace ran out 4–2 winners against Leicester earlier in the season, but Anderson is expecting a tough response this time around.
“We beat them last time, so we’re expecting them to come at us and try to put it right. We’ve got to be ready for that.”
Preparation has been brief following a congested run of fixtures, but the squad feel ready for the challenge.
“It’s been quite quick because we just had a game and now it’s Leicester. We haven’t had loads of time, but we definitely feel ready.”
In the league table, Palace sit third on 28 points. A victory this weekend would draw them level with Tottenham and move them to within two points of leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand.
With plenty still to play for, Anderson remains focused.
“We’ve got a lot of games and other competitions. Top three – I’ll take it. But we want to keep pushing.”
The match will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday (21st February), with coverage beginning at 11:45 GMT ahead of a 12:00 GMT kick-off – click HERE to find out more and subscribe.
Supporters can follow live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page, with a full match report and reaction published shortly after full-time in our Academy news section.
Highlights and extended reaction will be available on Palace TV+.
Leicester City Under-18s v Crystal Palace Under-18s