Meet the seven Young Eagles who stepped up against Bristol City

Chuks Okoli, Amaari Sealey and Adler Nascimento made their non-competitive senior debuts, while Harry Lee, Nat Kalembo, Caleb Kporha, and Seb Williams were named among the substitutes.

The fixture came during a rare three-week international break, allowing the Eagles to maintain match sharpness while giving supporters a closer look at the Academy talent coming through the ranks. A young, energetic crowd was also boosted by the Kids Go Free scheme!

So, let's take a closer look at the seven Young Eagles involved and the different paths that brought them to a spot in Saturday's first-team squad...

Harry Lee

At 21 years old, Harry Lee already has a considerable amount of senior football behind him.

The Devon-born goalkeeper began with Torquay United before spending almost a decade at Exeter City, where he became the club’s youngest player to make a senior appearance when he featured in the EFL Trophy against Chelsea Under-21s at 15.

A succession of loans followed, taking Lee into senior football with Dorchester Town, Tavistock, Plymouth Parkway, Weston-super-Mare and Salisbury. The journey was not without setbacks – a broken arm at Salisbury kept him out for five months – but another spell with Dorchester in 2025 proved particularly productive.

Palace won the race to sign him that summer and, after initially losing his place as U21 No.1, Lee fought his way back into the side.

He finished 2025/26 in style, saving three penalties in the Young Eagles’ Premier League 2 round of 16 play-off victory over Liverpool, and has continued to impress this season.

He produced a string of outstanding saves in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa before saving a penalty against Paris Saint-Germain to help Darren Powell’s side to a 2-1 victory in their Premier League International Cup curtain-raiser.

Regularly training with the first-team ‘keepers, Lee has also been involved in a number of senior matchday squads, including against West Ham United and Leeds United last season and Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup this term.

Saturday, however, marked the first time he had been named among the substitutes for a senior squad!

• Read Harry Lee’s Young Eagle story HERE!

Nat Kalembo

Kalembo’s route to Saturday’s first-team squad has been remarkably quick, with his rise mirroring Lee’s in one notable respect: both have been involved in senior football at the tender age of 15.

The versatile defender only made his competitive U18 debut as a substitute in April. Almost six months later, he was among the substitutes for a first-team matchday at Selhurst Park.

Comfortable on the ball and particularly mature in his reading of the game, Kalembo impressed during pre-season and began the new campaign on the right of a back three against West Ham United.

An injury briefly interrupted his progress, but he returned for a run of U18s appearances across league and cup before stepping up to Darren Powell’s U21s in mid-September.

His competitive U21 debut came in the EFL Trophy victory over Swindon Town, when he was substituted off the bench for the final 18 minutes. Further appearances in the closing stages against Blackburn Rovers and Plymouth Argyle followed.

And then came Saturday, when Kalembo was named in a first-team squad for the first time at just 15!

Caleb Kporha

If Kalembo represented the newest face in the group, Caleb Kporha was certainly the most familiar with the first-team environment.

Kporha joined Palace at Under-16 level in 2021 and has since shown the versatility to play at full-back, in midfield or further forward.

His senior breakthrough came in 2024/25. After making the bench against Liverpool, he made his debut against Fulham and then started the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal at the Emirates.

He went on to make four first-team appearances that season, while contributing three goals and six assists for the U21s, earning an England Under-19s call-up along the way. He also finished the campaign with an FA Cup winners’ medal.

Injury disrupted his progress last season, however, but Kporha has certainly returned with renewed purpose.

He has already scored for the U21s this term, producing an eye-catching finish against Swindon in the EFL Trophy after wriggling through a crowd of red shirts before finding the far corner.

Chuks Okoli

A Palace player since the age of seven, the midfielder enjoyed a breakthrough 2025/26 campaign, being named U18 Player of the Season after featuring 33 times and contributing five goals and nine assists.

But Okoli’s influence was about far more than numbers. A natural leader within the group, he captained the side in the FA Youth Cup Semi-Final at Old Trafford and the club’s first-ever U18 Premier League Cup Final victory over Manchester United at Selhurst Park.

He also provided one of the defining moments of the campaign, scoring the 92nd-minute winner against Aston Villa to send Palace into the FA Youth Cup semi-finals for the first time in nearly 30 years.

U18 head coach Javier Alonso described him as “the heartbeat of the side” – an apt description of a midfielder whose energy, character and willingness to lead made him such an important figure within the group.

An injury frustratingly interrupted his start to the 2026/27 campaign, but Okoli returned shortly before the international break to bring his tally to four appearances in his first full season with the Under-21s.

Another highlight of course followed on Saturday. Midway through the second half, Sage called for Okoli, sending the 18-year-old on against Bristol City to make his non-competitive senior debut.

Seb Williams

Okoli was not the only Academy midfielder to see his development rewarded with first-team involvement.

Seb Williams has been leading teams at Palace since his Under-16 days, eventually becoming a mainstay of the U18s before making his U21 debut in March 2024.

He made 31 appearances from a possible 32 that season, scoring five goals, and went on to captain the U18s in 2024/25. His performances earned him the Player of the Season award from his teammates before he signed his first professional contract.

Last season was Williams’ first full campaign with the U21s, and he quickly became a key figure in Darren Powell’s midfield. He has a knack for arriving at just the right moment, producing some memorable finishes along the way – including half-volleys against Juventus and Fulham.

That influence has carried into the new campaign. Williams has started all six of the U21s’ games so far, scoring against both PSG and Swindon and adding an assist. His consistency has also brought opportunities beyond the U21s, with a place on the bench for the first-team’s Europa League opener against Lech Poznań.

He was among the substitutes again on Saturday, as Bristol City provided another chance for Williams to be part of the first-team picture at Selhurst.

Amaari Sealey

Sealey’s journey to that opportunity began just a few miles from Selhurst.

The South Londoner joined Palace from AFC Wimbledon in the summer after an extraordinary campaign in which he registered 47 goal contributions as the Dons completed an unprecedented national quadruple.

An attacking midfielder capable of operating from the left, Sealey is tenacious, direct and particularly dangerous when cutting inside, with a delivery which has already become one of his calling cards.

His route into the professional game was not straightforward. After joining West Ham’s Academy at Under-9 level, he returned to grassroots football before eventually earning a scholarship with Wimbledon.

There, he became a central figure in a remarkable 2025/26 season, captaining the side to the EFL Youth Alliance Cup and Professional Development League Cup, while also scoring in the Youth Alliance League National Cup Final.

His form brought involvement with Wimbledon’s senior squad before his move to SE25.

A suspension carried over from his time at Wimbledon delayed his Palace debut, but once available he quickly made an impression, featuring against PSG before registering his first assist in his first start against Swindon in the EFL Trophy.

Sealey capped an excellent first few months in South London with a proud moment over the weekend, introduced alongside Nascimento in the closing stages against Bristol to make his non-competitive senior debut.

Adler Nascimento

Nascimento, meanwhile, has been waiting longest of all for this moment...

The Portuguese forward joined Palace from Peterborough United in 2021, having already made his professional debut as a 16-year-old, and has spent more than five years progressing through the Academy.

He quickly established himself as a goalscorer, finding the net seven times in 17 U18 appearances in 2022/23, and has since developed into one of the U21s’ more experienced attacking figures.

Injuries have interrupted his progress at various points, but Nascimento has consistently produced moments to remind supporters of his ability – from a spectacular 40-yard strike against Bromley to a composed volley against Juventus in the Premier League International Cup.

He enjoyed a particularly productive summer, scoring all five of Palace’s goals in pre-season, and has carried that form into the new campaign with two goals and two assists. His free-kick against PSG was even nominated for September’s Goal of the Month!

On Saturday, though, the most important number was 85. That was the minute Nascimento entered the field alongside Sealey at Selhurst, finally making his non-competitive senior debut after more than five years in the Academy...