U18s Preview: Palace seek Youth Cup redemption v well-matched Wolves

Match previews

7 Dec 2021

Crystal Palace Under-18s will look to progress to the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup for the first time in 12 years as they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Selhurst Park on Saturday, 15th January 2022 (14:00 GMT)

Previous meetings

As these teams are in different regions of the Under 18 Premier League, they don’t face each other often. The last time the two sides met in this tournament was just under two years ago at Molineux, where Wolves narrowly edged the young Eagles with a 2-1 victory.

Preview

Rob Quinn’s Palace side enter this game after coming from behind to triumph over Barnsley in the third round last month.

Under his stewardship they currently sit fourth in the Under-18 Premier League South, enjoying a solid start to the season after winning six of their 12 games so far. Wolves also reside in fourth place in the Under-18 Premier League North.

Palace will look to carry their good league form into the FA Youth Cup clash against the West Midlands outfit and progress to the Fifth Round for the first time in 12 years.

A home clash against either Tottenham Hotspur or West Bromwich Albion awaits the victors, which will be played by the weekend of Februrary 5th, 2022.

The FA Youth Cup - history and rules

While the FA Cup celebrates its 150th anniversary, which Palace played a big part in shaping, the FA Youth Cup is marking its 70th this season - and Palace have a successful history in this prestigious tournament, too.

The south Londoners recorded back-to-back FA Youth Cup triumphs in 1977 and 1978, with the likes of Vince Hilaire, Peter Nicholas and Kenny Sansom all featuring in a remarkable period for the young squad which went on to shape the ‘Team of the Eighties’.

The semi-final and final were played over two legs in that era, and the format carried on until 2018/19. In the present day, all FA Youth Cup ties are contested over 90 minutes, on a one-match basis, with extra-time and penalties used if required.

Team news

When they took on Barnsley in the last round, Palace welcomed a number of players who had been playing at Under-23 level in the Premier League 2 Division 1.

Goalkeeper Joe Whitworth, along with midfielder Jack Wells-Morrison and left-back Tayo Adaramola, all featured in the side and may do so again against Wolves.

Leading goalscorer Victor Akinwale will likely continue to lead the line for Quinn’s side, while Under-18s captain Joe Sheridan will look to remain at the heart of the defence.

Match details

Saturday, 15th January
14:00 GMT
Selhurst Park

How to follow

At Selhurst Park

Supporters are encouraged to throw their weight behind the lads for this clash. Tickets can be bought by any supporter regardless of purchase history and membership status.

The Main Stand, blocks A, B, C & D will be open for this game, and the usual food and drink offerings will be served pre-match and at half-time. Turnstiles will open from 1:30pm

The best way of buying tickets is online here. Tickets can also be bought on the gate.

Adults: £5
Concessions and under-21s: £1
Academy Founder Members: Free*

*Please note, Academy Founder Members MUST still book a ticket for this game to ensure access to the stadium. You will not be charged, but entry can only be permitted with a valid ticket. Free tickets are limited to one ticket per Member.

Social media

You can check out our Instagram story for all of the pre-match build-up and our official Academy Twitter page is bringing you up-to-the-minute match updates, eye-catching photos and more.

Our club website, cpfc.co.uk, is the place to go for team news on the dot, an instant report and all the post-match votes.

The official app

Download our app for free here for lineups, commentary and alerts!

Academy
Match previews
Under-18s

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