Daniel Owoade, first-year scholar and full-back, didn’t hesitate: worst – free-scoring winger Makai Bernard-Ferguson; best – shot-stopper Thiago Speroni.
Stuart Oduro took longer, staring into the distance before finally deciding: best – midfield anchor Chuks Okoli; worst – flying wing-back Dean Benamar.
Ajean-Ray Greaves, bouncing from side to side, pointed at the camera and declared: best – Makai; worst – Joel Drakes-Thomas, noting that even though Joel recently featured in two European squads, he’d be “horrid” in the kitchen.
Josh Muwana, grinning from ear to ear, said Dean would be the worst and Chuks the best, while summer signing Khyan Frazer-Williams echoed the same choices.
Raihaan Anderson, barely able to contain his laughter amid some blustery conditions, pointed at AJ and said: worst – AJ; best – Stuart.
Donte Martin, fresh from scoring in Palace’s 4-2 victory over Norwich City, picked skipper Jasper Judd as the worst, while Jacob Fasida opted for himself as the best and Josh as the worst.
We finished with David Angibeaud and Oladotun “Dotts” Lamidi side by side, confidently declaring: “Me and Dot’s best at cooking traditional dinner. The worst? Remi Shittu and Makai.”
It seems clear – when it comes to cooking Christmas dinner, our U18s squad has very strong opinions. Whether in the kitchen or on the pitch, though, they all bring plenty of personality to the table!