This week, Ajean-Ray Greaves spoke to us after his dream start to 26/27, discussing his journey from South London to Palace, overcoming injury setbacks and his ambitions for the season ahead.
Young Eagle: Ajean-Ray Greaves
Our Young Eagle series gets to know the Academy prospects kicking off their careers at Crystal Palace.
It’s been quite a start to the season for Greaves.
Named captain for the first time, the second-year scholar then scored twice as the Young Eagles began their U18 Premier League South campaign with a 3-1 victory at West Ham United.
It was the perfect way to begin a season in which Greaves is determined to stay fit, make the most of his opportunities and push for Young Lions recognition.
“This season has been a whirlwind so far. I was named captain, and I’m happy that the coaches trust me enough to lead my team.
“I know it’s a big responsibility, but I’m ready to lead the boys. I want to win some games and win a lot this year.
“It was a really good opening day at West Ham. Scoring two was good – although I should have scored a hat-trick!
“I felt really happy scoring and being captain. I got a lot of love from a lot of people, so I’m happy.
“I saw a lot of Palace fans saying stuff, even some West Ham fans. I’m really happy to see the messages because it makes me want to keep going and keep performing.
“I’ve had a taste of this now and I want to continue to taste it.”
Greaves celebrates scoring his brace, below!
For someone who has endured more than his share of setbacks, the feeling is particularly sweet. Greaves grew up in Tooting and admits he doesn’t remember exactly how his love for football began.
“Everyone my age, everyone around me was just playing football, even the kids outside. So naturally I just joined in and fell in love with the game.
“I’m South London through and through. I grew up in Tooting and spent a lot of time with my nan, who grew up in Southfields, but I mainly spent time in Tooting.”
His journey began with Westside in Wandsworth before a spell with Junior Elite, and eventually led him to Palace at 15.
His first full season at the Academy came with the Under-16s – and it remains a campaign he looks back on particularly fondly.
“It started off slow, but I picked things up quite a lot with the U16s. It was probably my best season since I’ve been here.
“I had a really good pre-season and got around 10-plus assists and three goals. I was playing week in, week out, so I knew I was going to play and was able to perform.
“We had a really good team. Everyone was playing well and we always wanted to win. We knew we were all very good at football.”
Greaves for the Under-16s, below!
But just as he was establishing himself, injury struck.
A five-month lay-off ruled him out for much of the second half of the season, with close friend and fellow Academy player Makai Bernard-Ferguson suffering the same injury.
“It was difficult, but luckily I was with Makai. He had the same injury as me, so we were both going through all the rehab stuff.
“Obviously it was a different schedule from the boys. We weren’t training or playing with them, so it was weird. But having someone going through the same thing helped.”
Greaves with Daniel Owoade (middle) and Makai Bernard-Ferguson (right) holding the PL Cup, below!
His first season as a scholar proved even more challenging.
Greaves made his U18s debut in the opening game of 25/26 – an 8-0 victory over Birmingham City – but a succession of injuries meant he struggled to build any momentum.
“My first year was a bit of a rollercoaster. There were a lot of ups and downs, a lot of injuries and a lot of ins and outs.
“It was really stop-start. I never really got to solidify my place in the team.
“Considering I made my debut in the first game, I knew I wasn’t going to have that bad of a season, but I just wished I could have played more and produced more for the team.
“It was very annoying. I couldn’t really push and earn my spot.”
Greaves on his U18s debut against Birmingham, below!
Yet the setbacks never stopped him pushing. As the season progressed, opportunities opened up and Greaves took them – most notably against Arsenal.
He registered two assists in the away fixture before being named Player of the Match in the return at Copers Cope.
“Those games were really good for me. It proved to myself, more than anyone, that I was ready to play and produce for the team.
“I was able to show myself and show what I can do.”
That belief has carried into 26/27, along with a clear target: staying on the pitch.
“I’m just trying to stay injury-free. I’m doing even more off the pitch now to make sure that on the pitch I’m ready and can stay on the pitch as long as I can for my team.
“I know what I can do and I know what I can show.”
There is another ambition, too. Greaves is hoping to earn an England Under-18 call-up after injury prevented him from taking up an opportunity last season.
“Obviously England is the first thing, but for the season at Palace I want to go as far as we can in the cups, go above and beyond what we did last year and hopefully have a bigger league finish.
“We can be more consistent in the league. If we focus on that, I think we can push for a lot.”
And what can Palace supporters expect to see from him?
“I’m athletic, aggressive and a goalscoring machine from wing-back! I’ve got a lot of power, flair sometimes and an eye for goal.”
Greaves opens the scoring at West Ham below!
Away from the pitch, life is a little quieter.
Greaves is currently living in digs, seeing his mum – who remains in Tooting – once a week, while spending much of his spare time with his fellow scholars.
“We go out to eat, go bowling, play PlayStation and do different activities.
“I’m a boring man, you know!”
His closest friends, though, are Joel (Drakes-Thomas) and Makai – the latter having shared that difficult spell on the sidelines with him.
“Joel and Makai are probably my closest friends. They still argue to this day about who’s closer to who!
“We’ve been through a lot together, especially with injuries and everything else. We’re all pushing each other, so hopefully we can have a really good season together.”
Greaves with JDT after the Premier League Cup triumph below!
You can watch Ajean in action when our U18s take on Southampton in the U18s Premier League South on Saturday morning (KO: 11:00 BST) LIVE on Palace TV+!