Powell: We've got good players within our age groups
Under-21s head coach Darren Powell has praised the emerging talent within Crystal Palace's Academy, highlighting the progress of Lucca Benetton and Nat Kalembo after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Everton in Premier League 2.
Lucca and Nat did really well
—Darren Powell
First-year scholar Benetton made his U21s debut between the posts – producing an excellent second-half save to deny Ceiran Looney – while Kalembo continued to establish himself as a regular in Powell's side following another impressive performance.
Both youngsters have also earned opportunities in and around the first team in the UEFA Europa League in recent weeks, including being named among the substitutes for Thursday's 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim.
Speaking after the game, Powell said: “The positives are obviously Lucca making his U21s debut and Nat playing again and performing well. They both did really well, so those are real positives alongside the results.
“We've got good players within our age groups and there are opportunities for the guys coming through. What's pleasing is that they've come in and adapted well to the level.
“Nat has been playing really well and Lucca came in today, made some really good saves and came off his line well for a few set-pieces.
“It's promising, but there are going to be ups and downs for those guys. That's just part of their learning process.”
We defended well today
—Darren Powell
On the result itself, Powell admitted his side were frustrated not to take all three points, having felt they had done enough to win after Seb Williams' second-half opener.
“From our perspective, it feels like a loss. I felt we were a bit flat in the first half and the intensity wasn't where I expected it to be.
“We had a conversation at half-time about getting closer to people and closing spaces. I felt we did that in the second half and dominated the game. We got our goal, but then conceded a sloppy one, which was disappointing.
“We've been talking about keeping good distances over the last couple of weeks. At Newport, we had to defend with our backs against the wall and, at times, we did that well today, but at other times we didn't. That was frustrating.”
We'll still be working hard
—Darren Powell
With the November international break now underway, Powell outlined how the Young Eagles will use the pause in Premier League 2 action to continue their development, with friendly fixtures also a possibility.
“We're going to have a friendly in there, maybe a couple, but we'll still be working hard even though we haven't got any PL2 fixtures.
“We'll be working on areas we need to improve, particularly our defending and creating opportunities. Looking at this game, we created enough chances; we just didn't finish them off.
“There's still a lot of work to be done.”