Crystal Palace Under-18s enjoyed another successful campaign in the Under 18 Premier League South, recording a third place finish - their third top-three finish in as many years.
This is the club’s third season as a Category 1 Academy, having earned the feat back in July 2020. In that time the U18s have finished second, third and now third once more at the highest level of development football.
Below is exactly how their season unfolded, along with excerpts from the coaching staff and players.
Wins in the West Midlands (West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa)
Crystal Palace began their campaign in earnest at home at Copers Cope against West Ham United. They go off to the best possible start taking a 2-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes. Captain Freddie Bell opened the side's account for the season with a well taken goal from outside the box, 12 minutes in that was nominated for August’s Goal of the Month.
On the goal and the game, Bell said: “[The goal against West Ham] was pretty good. It was our first game, quite a lot of pressure on it, and obviously being captain for the first time in a league game was good to get the team going, which I needed to do, and get the season started.
“The result wasn’t ideal, but to start the team’s run with a goal like that was really good and I probably will remember that for a long time. I saw that it was [nominated for goal of the month], but when you’re competing against the fan’s favourite [Wilfried Zaha] it’s difficult, but it was a great goal from him!”
Indeed the result wasn’t ideal - momentum swung in favour of the visitors, after netting before half-time, and they managed to overturn the two-goal lead Palace had and run away with all three points in dramatic fashion five minutes from time. A far from ideal start for Rob Quinn's side.
Despite the false start against West Ham, they quickly picked themselves up and dusted themselves down before heading to the West Midlands.
Back-to-back games against West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa were on the cards and the boys from south London managed to come away with two wins, two clean sheets and seven goals.
A resounding 4-0 thrashing of Aston Villa was quickly followed up by a 3-0 win against the Baggies, giving the side six points from a possible nine in the opening month of the campaign - seeing them shoot up the table.
Dominating the south coast (Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton)
September rolled around and that saw the young Eagles venture into U18 Premier League Cup action, and what better way to start the cup run with a clash against fierce rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
Palace put in an exceptional performance to earn their first points of the PL Cup campaign, dispatching the Seagulls 3-0, thanks to a brace from Adler Nascimento and a sensational solo effort from Vonnte Williams which won September’s Goal of The Month.
Describing his goal, Williams said: "I got the ball, it was the 80th minute, everyone was tired and I just had a burst of energy. I got the ball and saw loads of space, ran through and didn't stop."
What followed two weeks later was a gritty 3-2 win against the Saints, after going down to 10-men before the half-time. A brilliant display of character, which Academy Director Gary Issott described as “one of the standout games early on.”
At the end of September, Quinn’s side were sitting in third place, just three points behind eventual winners West Ham.
A five-goal thriller and a five-goal thumping (Chelsea, Sheffield United, Leicester City and Fulham)
A five-goal thriller at the start of October saw Palace record their fifth straight win in all competitions, after the early defeat to West Ham. A last-minute penalty saw Palace emerge 3-2 winners against Chelsea, and move up to second place in the league.
A rather unfamiliar trip to Sheffield awaited the side after the win against the Blues. Palace would never normally play Sheffield United during the league campaign as they are in the northern section, however the PL Cup saw them drawn against them.
They made it six wins in a row, thanks to a late winner in a sweeping counter-attack from Asher Agbinone. This set the side top of Group D in the PL International Cup, with only Leeds to play later on.
After the international break, Palace’s six-game winning streak in all competitions came to an abrupt end at the hands of Leicester City. Despite taking the lead early on, the Foxes managed to put five past the young Eagles in their worst defeat of the campaign.
A topsy-turvy affair against Fulham followed in the aftermath of the defeat against Leicester. The visitors took the lead early on, but two second-half goals from Hindolo Mustapha and Caleb Kporha saw Palace earn a point to keep their push for the top alive.
Injuries, red cards and a dip in form (Leeds United, Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur)
The start of November saw the young Eagles travel to Leeds for their final game in Group D of the PL Cup. Earlier wins against Brighton and Sheffield United saw them top the group, with a four-goal swing needed to knock them off qualifying for the next round.
That four-goal swing is exactly what happened in the most cruel fashion. After going down to 10-men in the first-half, Palace fell to a 5-2 defeat against Leeds - which initially meant that they were still going through, however a last-minute goal for the Blades saw them pip Palace to top spot in Group D with the exact four-goal swing needed.
Two weeks on from getting knocked out of the PL Cup, Quinn’s side travelled further afield to Norwich City, where they earned a deserved point in a close-fought 2-2 draw. A patchy run of form started to develop after the draw against the side which eventually finished bottom of the table.
London rivals Tottenham Hotspur were welcomed to Copers Cope at the end of November and managed to depart with all three points rather easily as the south Londoners were reduced to 10-men once again. In spite of the recent results in November, Palace remained in third place - within touching distance of the Hammers.
A five-star triumph and more cup woes (Brighton and Manchester United)
December only saw two fixtures for the young Eagles, but they were two huge ones. First off was another clash against rivals Brighton on the south coast. A dominant display from start to finish saw Palace redeem themselves from their poor November form - putting five past the Seagulls with ease, including an absolutely stunning effort from Kaden Rodney.
This boded well for the side as arguably their toughest opponent of the entire campaign awaited them a week later in the FA Youth Cup. Indeed, reigning champions Manchester United were in town at a bitterly cold Selhurst Park just before Christmas.
A quickfire start in tricky conditions saw the Red Devils race into a two-goal lead, and despite halving the deficit, it wasn’t to be as Palace bowed out to the reigning champions in the Third Round Proper.
Four goal fiestas (West Ham, Fulham and Aston Villa)
A top-of-the-table clash against West Ham was in order after the winter break; a chance at redemption for the opening game of the season. A victory would’ve closed the deficit at the top, but the Hammers sealed their 14th successive win of the league campaign in emphatic style by putting four past the young Eagles.
Palace had no time to rest as another London derby was on the cards a week later. They responded brilliantly to the defeat against the Hammers by scoring four of their own to comfortably return to winning ways against Fulham.
They rounded off January with a 2-1 win against Villa, leading the race for second place in the league as the Hammers were more than 15 points clear.
New signings shine (Brighton and Arsenal)
The beginning of February saw Palace make two new editions to the side, with Dylan Reid joining from Scottish side St. Mirren and Franco Umeh making the switch to south London from Cork City.
Reflecting on the transfers in a recent interview, Academy Director Gary Issott said: “We added two players in that group, Dylan Reid and Franco [Umeh], and that gave a new energy to the group and they went on a really good run in the second half of the season.”
Indeed the young Eagles did go on a good run and it started with coming back from a goal down to earn a point against Brighton. An intense affair was bookended by two Palace goals, seeing the points shared in their third and final encounter with the Seagulls.
Reid and Umeh both featured away at Arsenal at the end of the month and made an instant impression. Umeh, a forward capable of playing anywhere along the front-three, scored a first-half brace to help the young Eagles on their way to three points.
Stunners, a seven-goal thriller and a long awaited return (Spurs, Arsenal and Leicester)
March began with another London derby for Palace with a trip to Spurs, and though the young Eagles managed to take a two-goal lead into the break, they fell to a 4-2 defeat after being reduced to 10-men once more.
Asher Agbinone’s strike from outside the box in that game did manage to win March’s Goal of the Month, and the forward said “I thank God, obviously, to win the Goal of the Month award. It’s been tough at times, but hopefully I can do more.”
Agbinone did indeed do more, as he notched a brace as Palace edged out the Gunners in a seven-goal thriller a week later. That game also saw the return of David Obou to the starting XI and the scoresheet, after the forward missed seven months of the season through injury.
A 5-1 hammering of the Foxes with braces from Zach Marsh and Obou capped off a fine run in March as attention turned to internationals at the end of the month. Umeh featured for the Republic of Ireland U19s, Reid captained Scotland U18s and centre-back Mofe Jemide helped England U17s qualify for the U17 European Championship in the summer.
Seventh-heaven, six games unbeaten and signing off (Southampton, Norwich, Chelsea and West Brom)
April could not have started any better for Quinn’s side. They put last season’s champions Southampton to the sword - hitting seven past them in a completely dominant display. A hat-trick from Marsh, along with goals from Agbinone, Umeh, Obou and Hindolo Mustapha capped off the young Eagles’ biggest win of the season.
It would’ve been four wins in a row in mid-April, but Palace were pegged back in the ninth minute of stoppage time against Norwich as the Canaries salvaged a 3-3 draw. Nascimento scored a Goal of the Month candidate in the young Eagles’ final away trip of the season at Cobham, earning a 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
Finally, the season culminated in a clash against the Baggies at Copers Cope. A point in a 1-1 draw saw the young Eagles secure a third place finish, a point behind second-place Fulham, two points clear of Chelsea, three clear of Spurs and 10 clear of Brighton.
The result also meant that Palace ended the season on a six-game unbeaten run, auguring well for the 23/24 campaign. Reflecting on the season as a whole, manager Quinn said: “Overall it’s been positive when you look at the age of the group.
“We’re very young in comparison to last year’s group, but the first years have got a lot of experience and that’s a massive positive going into next season.
“Our expectations of them, and us as a group of staff, is for them to now deliver. They’ve had a taste of the level, so now they’ll have to go out and produce. This year has worked out brilliantly for the first years, with a lot more game time, which aids their development."
Click here to read Rob Quinn's assessment of the season in full!