Here’s the latest from our young Eagles out on loan…
Loan report: Esse debuts for Coventry as Grante records clean sheet
Five Crystal Palace loanees were in action across the English football pyramid this weekend.
Romain Esse – Coventry City
Esse made his Coventry City debut as the Sky Blues suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Stoke City in the FA Cup Third Round on Saturday.
A sensational 88th-minute strike from Lamine Cissé proved the difference in what was a closely contested encounter. The first half was evenly matched, with clear-cut chances at a premium for both sides, before Coventry looked to grow into the game after the interval.
City sought to get Esse involved as they pushed for the opener, and they came agonisingly close after 63 minutes. Esse showcased his skill by beating two defenders before lifting a beautifully weighted cross into the box for Haji Wright, who headed against the post with the goal seemingly at his mercy.
With the match appearing destined for extra time, Stoke broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion. A headed clearance fell to Cissé, who took a touch before unleashing a dipping half-volley from 35 yards into the top corner.
Coventry, with Esse playing the full 90 minutes, pressed hard for an equaliser late on, but Stoke held firm to progress. Despite the result, Esse impressed on his debut and earned plaudits from the travelling Sky Blues supporters.
Danny Imray – Blackpool FC
Imray completed the full 90 minutes as Blackpool were edged out 2-1 by Ipswich Town away from home in their FA Cup Third Round tie on Saturday.
Thirty-nine places separated the two sides going into the contest, with promotion-chasing Ipswich sitting third in the Championship and having lost just once in their previous eight matches as they look to make an immediate return to the Premier League.
Blackpool, meanwhile, are 18th in League One but have shown signs of revival under Ian Evatt, winning three of their last five league outings.
The Seasiders enjoyed several promising moments in the first half but went into the break trailing after Ipswich winger Jaden Philogene produced a stunning curling effort. Ipswich controlled large spells of the second half but were unable to find a decisive second goal, with Blackpool posing a threat on the counter.
That second goal eventually arrived three minutes from time when Jacob Greaves doubled Ipswich’s lead. Ashley Fletcher pulled one back in stoppage time with his 16th goal of the season, but it unfortunately proved too little, too late as Blackpool exited the competition.
Imray came close to scoring early on, seeing a goal-bound effort cleared off the line. A neat one-two between CJ Hamilton and Albie Morgan created space down the flank, with the wing-back pulling the ball back for Imray, whose shot was brilliantly blocked by an Ipswich defender.
In terms of his FA Cup involvement overall, Imray missed Blackpool’s 1-0 victory over Scunthorpe United due to injury, but did feature for 33 minutes in the 4-1 win against Carlisle United in the previous round.
Joe Whitworth – Exeter City
Whitworth and Exeter City’s FA Cup journey came to an end at the Etihad Stadium, as the Grecians were beaten heavily by Manchester City.
Whitworth had enjoyed an excellent cup run, keeping two clean sheets in victories over Halifax Town (2-0) and Wycombe Wanderers (4-0). However, City underlined their world-class quality as they swept aside Exeter.
The challenge facing the Grecians was clear from the team sheet, with the hosts naming stars such as Erling Haaland alongside new £62.5m signing Antoine Semenyo in their starting XI, making for a daunting afternoon for Whitworth and his teammates.
Marcus Hill – Raynes Park Vale FC
Hill made his second consecutive start as Raynes Park Vale played out a thrilling 4-4 draw away at Hendon FC in the Isthmian South Central League - Step 4 of the English Football Pyramid - on Saturday.
An action-packed first half saw seven goals shared between the sides, before an evenly contested second followed. Hill was called into action on multiple occasions, producing a series of saves to keep Vale in the contest.
Unfortunately for the 19-year-old, a low strike in the dying moments beat him to draw Hendon level. Despite the late setback, Hill continues to gain valuable senior experience and competitive minutes during his loan spell.
Jake Grante – St Albans FC
Grante played the full 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet as St Albans recorded an emphatic 5-0 victory over Cray Valley on Saturday.
The result made it back-to-back wins for St Albans, lifting them up to 12th in the table on 32 points. Grante has now started all five matches he has been eligible for since arriving on loan in early December, relishing the test of playing regular competitive senior football.
Loan Life
Last season, Owen Goodman, Danny Imray, Tayo Adaramola and Joe Whitworth all featured featured in the Palace TV series Loan Life, where our cameras gained an unprecedented insight into their time adapting to new clubs and developing in the Football League.