Category 3 side Bradford arrived in South London in excellent form, having booked their place in the third round with an emphatic 4–1 win over York City at the LNER Community Stadium, following an earlier 5–3 victory against Stockton Town.
Palace, meanwhile, were aiming to go one step further than last season, when they were narrowly beaten 1–0 by 2023/24 champions Manchester City at this stage of the competition.
The young Eagles came into the tie in buoyant mood after a thrilling 4–2 victory over Southampton in a top-of-the-table U18 Premier League South encounter at the Academy.
Jack Mason retained his place between the posts, while U16s ’keeper Lucca Bentetton earned a well-deserved spot on the bench – a huge moment in his young career. There were also starts for U21s regulars Dean Benamar and Joel Drakes-Thomas, with the former replacing Chuks Okoli owing to suspension.
It proved a landmark night for the club’s academy pathway, with fellow U16s Mylo Bernard and Dylan Monk named among the substitutes, while Daniel Owoade returned to the bench in place of Khyan Frazer-Williams. A special occasion – and a proud one – for a group of young talents very much seizing their moment.
Shaking off the biblical weather, Palace applied considerable attacking pressure from the outset. Dean Benamar set the tone early, nutmegging his marker inside his own half before surging down the left flank and whipping a dangerous cross into the penalty area. It found the head of David Angibeaud, but he couldn’t quite connect; a moment of pinball followed before Bradford eventually hacked clear.
Moments later, Benji Casey burst through on goal, only to see his low effort saved one-on-one by Jack Robinson. Makai Bernard-Ferguson reacted quickest to the rebound but fired agonisingly wide of the far post.
Charlie Walker-Smith then launched a long throw deep into the penalty area, but Casey's flick on was comfortably claimed by Robinson.
