U21s Season Review: Triumphs, heartbreak and development

Academy

7 Jun 2023

Crystal Palace Under-21s have competed on four fronts in 2022/23, coming agonisingly close to clinching silverware and a top two league finish.

This is the club’s third season as a Category 1 Academy, having secured that status back in July 2020. In that time the U21s (Under-23s in 20/21 and 21/22) secured promotion from the Premier League 2 Division 2 at the first time of asking via the play-offs, recorded a fifth place finish in their first season in the PL2 Division 1 and have now pushed on on multiple fronts in their third season at the top level of development football.

Here is a comprehensive overview of how the season unfolded for the U21s, featuring insights from the coaching staff and players themselves.

August

A flying start (Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester United, Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Swindon Town)

The U21s began their campaign in the best possible fashion, beating rivals Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 under the lights at Selhurst Park. First-team players Jean-Philippe Mateta and Malcolm Ebiowei were on the scoresheet, with the former grabbing a brace in the first-half.

A trip up the M6 was on the cards for the Eagles as they faced Manchester United in their first away game of the season. A five-star performance saw the side run away 5-1 winners against the Red Devils, putting them top of the PL2 Division 1 games into the campaign.

They will continue to fight for top spot as the season went on. Another away fixture against Fulham followed the trip to Manchester and this was a tricky affair. The side fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Motspur Park, with the prolific John-Kymani Gordon securing a brace.

U21 Match Highlights: Manchester United 1-5 Crystal Palace

Palace then hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers at Copers Cope and came back from a goal down to secure all three points with a last-gasp Victor Akinwale winner. This result made it three wins out of four in the league for the side and manager Paddy McCarthy was full of praise for the side: “Conceding so early throws the game plan and mental preparation out the window.

“It becomes a completely different game, you’re chasing your tail early on, but [to come back and win it] shows the character and resilience within the group and I’m delighted.”

The end of August saw the U21s travel to face first-team opposition in the EFL Trophy. McCarthy’s side took to the County Ground and ran away 2-0 winners thanks to yet another brace from Gordon.

The icing on the cake for a fine August for the U21s saw first-team debuts for Kaden Rodney and Killian Phillips as the pair started in the win against Oxford United in the Carabao Cup.

September

Extending the unbeaten run (Tottenham Hotspur, Hertha Berlin, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain)

The games kept coming thick and fast in September. London rivals Tottenham Hotspur were first up at Selhurst Park and were dispatched with ease thanks to a first-half hat-trick from Gordon.

Just three days later, the Eagles set off on what would prove to be a remarkable cup run as they faced Hertha Berlin in the Premier League International Cup. This was the first time the side have competed in this competition; giving them a taste of European opposition. A cagey affair saw Palace narrowly claim all three points with an Ademola Ola-Adebomi winner.

After the international break which saw centre-back Seán Grehan score for the Republic of Ireland Under-19s, the Eagles returned to action at Selhurst Park once more as they hosted Chelsea. A chaotic game saw the side fight back from being 2-0 and 3-1 down to draw 3-3 in the stoppage time as captain Jack Wells-Morrison slotted home the equaliser.

September was rounded off in emphatic style with a result that will live long in the memory of players and fans alike. Palace hosted Paris Saint-Germain at Champion Hill in their second fixture of the PL International Cup group stage and put in a performance of the highest quality - smashing seven past the French giants to go top of Group C.

October

A rough patch and last-minute drama (West Ham United, Bristol Rovers, Everton, Plymouth, Manchester City and Arsenal)

A jam-packed October began with the U21s making it 10 games unbeaten in all competitions from the start of the season with a 1-0 victory away at West Ham United.

Capping off a successful start to the campaign, Gordon won the Premier League 2 Player of the Month Award for September, with 11 goals in nine appearances in all competitions - including two hat-tricks against Spurs and PSG.

A return to EFL Trophy action saw the side travel to face League One Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Ground. The Eagles were defeated for the first time in 22/23, as The Gas won 2-0.

In between two EFL Trophy games was a seven-goal thriller against Everton at Copers Cope, however the side fell to back-to-back defeats as they were on the wrong side of a 4-3 scoreline.

What proved to be the Eagles’ final game in the EFL Trophy was a winner-takes-all clash against eventual League One winners Plymouth Argyle. The Pilgrims secured three points and qualification from the group in dramatic style with a 91st minute winner, sending Palace out at the group stage.

There was no rest for the Eagles as they quickly faced two top-of-the-table clashes against Manchester City and Arsenal. An end to end clash with the Citizens saw Palace take the lead twice only to find themselves 3-2 down in the second-half. A 94th minute equaliser from Ola-Adebomi claimed a point on the road for the Eagles as they remained top of the PL2 Division 1.

Looking to build a gap at the top - Palace travelled to Meadow Park to take on Arsenal on Halloween. A rather tame fixture saw the points shared between the two sides, as Ebiowei’s opener was cancelled out by a stunning Arsenal effort.

November

A return to winning ways in another Cup competition (Leicester City, Sheffield United, Newcastle United and Bristol City)

In their third game at Selhurst Park, the Eagles hosted Leicester City in their final PL2 Division 1 game of 2022 and played out a stalemate 0-0 draw.

They then travelled to Yorkshire to take on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in the Premier League Cup. Despite going down to 10-men in the first-half, Palace stood firm and managed to come away with all three points in a 2-1 win.

With the Premier League now paused for the World Cup, the Academy action carried on in full flow as the side once again headed north to face Newcastle United. The Eagles again emerged victorious thanks to a wonder-strike from Gordon which won the club’s Goal of the Month Award for November.

A trip to the South West to take on Bristol City rounded off November for McCarthy’s men. They drew 2-2 against the Robins, meaning that they were among three of the four sides who were all on seven points at the halfway stage of their PL Cup group.

U21 Match Highlights: Newcastle United 0-1 Crystal Palace

December

A collapse before Christmas (Bristol City and Newcastle)

A truncated December due to postponements saw the U21s only face two fixtures at Champion Hill. Bristol City travelled to south London and managed to knock Palace off top spot in Group E of the PL Cup - winning 5-2 after the Eagles initially clawed their way back from 2-0 down.

In their final match before a break for Christmas, Newcastle were the visitors in Dulwich. Palace looked all set to claim three points, leading 2-1, however two goals in the 90th minute saw the Magpies return to the North East with all three points.

January

A topsy-turvy start to the new year (Brighton, Sheffield United, Fulham, Liverpool and Man City)

A trip to Brighton awaited the Eagles, as they returned to PL2 action after the short Christmas break. A 4-2 thumping of the Seagulls on the south coast set them in good stead for the winner-takes-all clash against the Blades a week later.

For the second time in just over two months, Palace found themselves needing to win to progress out of the group of a cup competition. It wasn’t to be for the boys from south London as the Blades secured the point they needed to progress with a 1-1 draw in Dulwich.

U21 Match Highlights: Brighton 2-4 Palace

Attention returned to pushing on at the top of the PL2 Division 1 after narrowly missing out on the knock-out stage of the PL Cup, and Fulham were next up at Champion Hill. A stunning effort from the Cottagers saw them claim all three points, denting Palace’s push for top spot.

A tricky test in Kirkby against Liverpool was next up for the side midway through January. An early strike from Akinwale made sure the Eagles returned to south London with three points to their name and within touching distance of top spot.

January was closed out with a top of the table clash against leaders Man City at Copers Cope. The visitors put in a performance of the highest quality and managed to condemn Palace to their heaviest defeat of the season.

A historic moment in January saw U21s midfielder David Ozoh make his Premier League debut in a 0-0 draw against Newcastle at Selhurst Park - becoming the club’s youngest ever Premier League player.

February

Pushing on in the International Cup (Dinamo Zagreb, Sporting Braga, Leicester, Man Utd and Spurs)

The beginning of February threw up the final two games of Group C in the PL International Cup for the Eagles. They fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb, setting up yet another must-win game against Sporting Braga just four days later.

Palace were staring down the barrel of a third successive exit from a cup competition in the final group stage fixture after Braga took the lead early on, however a well taken equaliser from Grehan and a last-minute winner from Wells-Morrison fired the boys from south London into the quarter final of the PL International Cup.

On getting the winner, Wells-Morrison said: “We’ve had a few bad results elsewhere, games where we should’ve been doing better in some games, but it’s good to get through tonight. We’ll have more games to play, so let’s see who we get next. [My goal] was decent! I don’t score too many, so scoring one here tonight was brilliant.”

There was little time to celebrate progressing in the PL International Cup as the side returned to league action just five days later. A trip to Seagrave saw them come away with a point in a 1-1 draw against Leicester.

Two further draws followed at the end of February, a 0-0 stalemate with Man Utd and a 1-1 draw at The Lamex against Spurs. These two draws saw the side slip to fourth, as Man City and Chelsea pulled away from the chasing pack.

U21 Match Highlights: Crystal Palace 2-1 SC Braga

March

Three wins, two competitions and one semi-final spot (Everton, Arsenal and Liverpool)

March was less frantic than most months with only three fixtures due to the international break which saw Ozoh earn his first England youth caps, though there were two trips to Merseyside.

The first of which saw Akinwale head in yet another winner on the road against Everton at Haig Avenue, giving some hope in the push for top spot in the league.

Arsenal were next up at Copers Cope for the Eagles and they comfortably beat the Gunners 2-0 thanks to an Ola-Adebomi brace.

Another trip to Merseyside beckoned at the end of March, as the PL International Cup quarter-final draw handed Palace domestic opposition in the form of Liverpool. Akinwale was once again the hero, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win to send Palace into the semi-finals.

There was also a change in management for the side in March, as assistant manager Darren Powell took the reins for the Liverpool game onwards owing to McCarthy the stepping up to the first-team. U21s goalkeeper Joe Whitworth also made his debut for the first-team in March, playing against Brighton and Arsenal.

Joe Whitworth presented with Premier League debut ball

April

Another unbeaten run and a blip in the run-in (Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham, Wolves and Blackburn)

Powell’s side found themselves on the road once more, although this time it was a short trip to Kingsmeadow to take on Chelsea. After falling behind, they displayed excellent resilience and fought back to claim all three points in a 2-1 win.

Ola-Adebomi scored the equaliser against the Blues and he attributed the result to the side’s character: “Games like that show our character. We’ve been going away from home and managing to get wins all season. We’re still unbeaten in the league away from home and there's no better feeling than coming from behind to beat a team like Chelsea 2-1.

““I think that result just shows the togetherness and character in the group. We’ve conceded early in a few games now, but we manage to fight our way back into games and win them - you can't say that’s a fluke.”

U21 Match Highlights: Chelsea 1-2 Palace

Indeed, it wasn’t a fluke as the side went and did the same four days later away at Blackburn Rovers. They conceded early on and managed a late smash and grab with three goals coming in the final 10 minutes for a 3-1 victory in their penultimate away game of the season.

Palace displayed even more resilience against West Ham - coming back from 0-2 and 1-3 down, after playing for over an hour with 10-men, to draw 3-3 against the East Londoners. The draw against the Hammers meant the side had gone on another 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

The side will not look back too fondly at the end of April, despite going on that unbeaten run, as they fell to a 5-0 defeat against Wolves with 10-men in their final away game of the season. They then lost 3-0 to Blackburn in the reverse of the fixture played earlier in the month.

May

On the brink of silverware (Valencia, Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven)

The U21s’ season culminated in these final three games in May. They first managed to overcome Valencia at Selhurst Park in the most dramatic style - winning 5-3 on penalties after the score was level at 1-1 after 120 minutes.

Goalkeeper Owen Goodman was one of the heroes of the shootout and couldn’t hold back his joy in the post-match interview: ““It’s big. A cup’s a cup. It’s a Premier League cup, against European opposition… it’s not often you get to play a European opponent in a Final. I think we’ve got to take it, go and win the game… it’s amazing. It feels amazing.”

Palace couldn’t celebrate making the final for very long as they returned to Copers Cope to finish their PL2 Division 1 campaign against Liverpool three days later. A narrow 1-0 defeat meant that the side finished fourth in the table, one better than last year’s fifth place finish and just within three points of second place.

PL International Cup Highlights: Palace 1-1 Valencia (5-3 Pens)

Finally, Palace U21s’ 42nd and final game of the 22/23 campaign saw them face PSV Eindhoven in the final of the Premier League International Cup. Backed by outstanding support at Selhurst Park, the Eagles went ahead early on thanks to a stunning Scott Banks strike.

They were pegged back by PSV and the game trickled into extra-time. Tiredness in the legs began to show and the Dutch side managed to score two in extra-time to claim the silverware.

It wasn’t to be for the Eagles, but they could hold their heads high after a remarkable 22/23 campaign which has seen them build on the foundations laid out since achieving Category 1 status two seasons ago.

Manager Powell had the final word on the season after the PSV game: “I’m immensely proud of the boys.” He said. “Just getting here in our first ever time entering the competition, playing the likes of Valencia, Liverpool, et cetera... you can only be proud of the boys.

"Every game they put their heart and soul into their performance and their work and it’s just a shame it didn’t go our way. Ultimately this is for their development. Playing in a stadium like this, with the brilliant support that came out - this is what it’s about.”

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