A competition reserved for players born on or after 1st September 2009, the U17 Premier League Cup is designed to give first-year scholars a taste of competitive football. Palace have gone a step further, however, fielding a squad made up largely of Under-16 schoolboys – and topping Group B with seven points.
The Young Eagles opened their campaign with a statement 2-1 victory away to arch-rivals Brighton & Hove Albion – whose side was mainly made up of first-year scholars – before a comfortable 2-0 win over Reading set up a decisive meeting with Birmingham City on Tuesday afternoon.
They delivered in style, thrashing the Blues 6-1 to finish the group stage with three wins from three, 10 goals scored and just two conceded.
The top two teams from each of the eight groups progress to Group Stage Two, where they will be split into four groups of four and face each opponent once. Only the group winners will reach the semi-finals, with the Cup Final to be staged at the host club’s main stadium.
Palace join Chelsea, Bournemouth, Ipswich Town, Fulham, Cardiff City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City and Derby County among the sides already confirmed for the next stage.