Romain Esse opened his account for Coventry City, while ‘keepers Owen Goodman and Joe Whitworth delivered assured performances between the posts.
Catch up on how the Eagles’ loanees fared below.
Loan report: Esse opens his Coventry account as Whitworth and Goodman impress between the sticks
Seven Crystal Palace loanees were in action across the English football pyramid and beyond this weekend, gaining valuable minutes and making their mark.
Romain Esse – Coventry
Esse enjoyed a memorable outing as Coventry City claimed back-to-back victories at the CBS Arena, with the Palace loanee opening his account for the Sky Blues in dramatic fashion.
Esse struck against his former club to give Coventry an early advantage, reacting quickest after Ephron Mason-Clark’s cross was initially saved, showing sharp instincts to force the ball over the line from close range.
Millwall levelled midway through the first half, but Esse’s energetic display set the tone for a lively contest. After an evenly balanced second period, Coventry found the decisive breakthrough late on to secure all three points.
Esse was withdrawn during a triple substitution as Frank Lampard looked to manage the game, with Coventry seeing out the closing stages professionally.
The result keeps Coventry top of the Championship table on 58 points, three clear with a game in hand. They return to action against Norwich tonight (Monday, 26th January, 20:00 GMT).
Joe Whitworth – Exeter City
Whitworth continued his impressive run between the sticks as Exeter City extended their unbeaten streak with a convincing 3-1 away victory over Port Vale.
The Palace ‘keeper was called into action early, reacting smartly to deny a near-post effort inside the opening five minutes and providing calm assurance as Exeter weathered early pressure.
Exeter took control of the match with three well-worked goals, while Whitworth remained composed throughout, commanding his area and dealing confidently with crosses and second-half pressure.
The only blemish came late on when a deflected effort left Whitworth with no chance, but it did little to detract from another assured performance as Exeter saw out the contest. The Grecians sit 10th in the table, level on 36 points with Mansfield.
Owen Goodman – Barnsley FC
Goodman made it back-to-back starts for Barnsley and played a key role as the Reds secured a hard-earned point against Reading, with a late equaliser ensuring the spoils were shared.
After the visitors opened the scoring midway through the first half, Goodman responded in the best possible way.
Showing outstanding composure and vision, the Palace loanee delivered a perfectly weighted long pass from deep, splitting the Reading defence and releasing Reyes Cleary down the right. Cleary drove into the area before unselfishly squaring for David McGoldrick, who finished from close range to restore parity.
Goodman remained alert throughout a lively contest, organising well from the back and dealing confidently with Reading’s threat. He was unfortunate not to keep a clean sheet early in the second half when a flicked-on corner struck the post, leaving the ‘keeper with little chance to react.
Barnsley pushed for a winner late on and were nearly punished at the other end, but Goodman was spared as a close-range effort flew over his crossbar in the closing stages.
The point leaves Barnsley 15th in League One on 33 points. They return to action against Cardiff at 19:45 GMT.
David Ozoh – Derby County
Ozoh continued his return to action with consecutive starts for Derby County, featuring prominently in a win over Charlton Athletic and a hard-fought draw against West Brom.
In the victory at The Valley, Ozoh was part of a disciplined midfield display as Derby secured back-to-back away wins in the Championship. Reduced to ten men late on, the Rams showed resilience to protect their lead and take maximum points.
Ozoh was again trusted from the start at Pride Park, playing over an hour as Derby produced a controlled performance against West Brom. After taking the lead before half-time, Derby were unfortunate to be denied all three points by a stoppage-time equaliser.
Having now started all three matches since returning from injury, Ozoh continues to build momentum and minutes at Championship level. Derby sit 11th on 42 points and face Bristol City next (Friday, 30th January, 20:00 GMT).
Matheus França – Vasco da Gama
França was named among the substitutes as Vasco da Gama recorded a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Boavista in the Campeonato Carioca. The win lifts Vasco to second place in Group A on seven points after four matches.
Marcus Hill – Raynes Park Vale FC
Hill completed the full 90 minutes for Raynes Park Vale, who suffered a 2-0 defeat away to AFC Porchester on Saturday.
The ‘keeper produced several strong saves to keep his side in contention, demonstrating good shot-stopping and composure in difficult moments.
Vale are 11th in the Isthmian South Central Division on 35 points and next face Hartley Wintney (Saturday, 31st January, 15:00 GMT).
Jake Grante – St Albans City
Grante played the full match as St Albans City were edged out by a single goal away to Lewes in the Isthmian Premier Division.
The Palace loanee was a steady presence throughout the contest as St Albans pushed for an equaliser but were unable to find a breakthrough.
St Albans sit 12th on 35 points and return to action against Billericay Town (Tuesday, 27th January, 19:45 GMT).
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.