Academy round-up: Joe Gibbard scores on international debut

Academy

24 Nov 2022

With the World Cup bringing first-team action to a halt, Academy matches have continued, and both Palace’s Under-18s and Under-21s have been in good form. Catch up with everything you may have missed in the past few weeks.

Back to winning ways

Paddy McCarthy’s Under-21s kicked off their Premier League Cup campaign in mid-November and made a return to winning ways. They got off to the best possible start, claiming all three points with 10-men in a 1-2 victory against Sheffield United and then followed that up with a 0-1 win at Newcastle to move three points clear at the top of Group E.

Leading goalscorer John-Kymani Gordon found the back of the net in both games with two sensational strikes, taking his tally for the season up to 13.

Elsewhere, Rob Quinn’s young Eagles were back in action as they travelled east to face Norwich City. They fought back twice to earn a point in a 2-2 draw, thanks to goals from Rio Cardines and Asher Agbinone.

U21 match highlights: Newcastle United 0-1 Crystal Palace

A historic FA Youth Cup draw

Palace Under-18s will kick-off their FA Youth Cup campaign in December against reigning champions Manchester United. The Red Devils are record winners of the Under-18 competition, taking the trophy 11 times, including for the inaugural tournament in 1953.

The young Eagles will look to progress beyond the third round proper, having previously won the FA Youth Cup back-to-back in 1977 and 1978 with the future 'Team of the Eighties', and finished runners-up in 1992 and 1997.

Loan updates

Academy loanees have been in flying form up and down the country and abroad. Jes Rak-Sakyi has continued to feature heavily for Charlton Athletic, registering an assist and scoring a penalty as they overcame Stevenage in the second round of the EFL Cup, while also netting against Burton Albion with a fine dinked finish.

Scott Banks continued to shine for Bradford City after returning from a minor injury, scoring a sensational curling effort from 20-yards out in a 0-2 victory away at Sutton United. Elsewhere, in Scotland Malachi Boateng continued his starting streak at Queen’s Park, featuring in every game for the Spiders since moving across the border.

Luke Plange and Jake O’Brien have also featured prominently for RWD Molenbeek in Belgium, helping the side go on a four-game winning streak to move up to second place in the Belgian First Division B.

International Eagles

Under-18s midfielder Joe Gibbard earned his first ever call-up to the Republic of Ireland U18s earlier this month and managed to find the back of the net twice in two games. He scored the second in their 3-1 win over Sweden U18s, while also finding the net in a 3-5 defeat to Croatia.

Laurie Shala also featured on international duty for Kosovo Under-19s as they fought for UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification.

Finally, former Palace Academy graduate Jonny Williams was named in the 26-man Wales squad for the World Cup and was an unused substitute in their first game against the United States of America.

What to watch on Palace TV+

The bumper schedule of games this winter keeps coming thick and fast. Palace U18s face a tricky London derby against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, 26th November at 11:00 GMT, while the U21s are also in Premier League Cup action against Bristol City on Monday, 28th November (KO: 19:00 GMT) as they look to make it three wins on the spin in Group E.

Both of these games will be broadcast LIVE on Palace TV+. Click here for more information.

Academy
Under-18s
Under-21s

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