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U18s preview: Palace bid to make it three wins from three
Crystal Palace Under-18s welcome Reading to the Academy on Saturday (KO: 11:30 BST), aiming to make it three consecutive wins in all competitions and extend their unbeaten run to four games.
The Story so far
Javier Alonso’s side are beginning to find their stride after a difficult start to the campaign, with a recent upturn in form lifting the Young Eagles to 12th in the U18 Premier League South, level on seven points with West Bromwich Albion.
Last weekend, Palace ran riot at Ipswich Town, with Donte Martin’s hat-trick inspiring an emphatic 6-2 victory.
The Young Eagles raced into a three-goal lead inside 16 minutes, with Martin and Remi Shittu on target, before Martin struck again to complete his treble and Hugo Bull added a fifth before half-time.
Makai Bernard-Ferguson marked his return from injury with a sixth shortly before the hour, rendering Ipswich’s late consolation little more than a footnote.
That result followed a crucial 3-0 victory over Leeds United in the U18 Premier League Cup, keeping Palace’s title defence alive, and a remarkable comeback from three goals down to draw 3-3 with Fulham before the international break.
Three games unbeaten, back-to-back wins and 12 goals scored across their last three outings: the Young Eagles will be looking to carry that momentum into Saturday.
Our Opponents – Reading FC
Reading arrive at the Academy second from bottom in the Premier League South, with one win, one draw and six defeats from their opening eight matches.
The Young Royals endured a difficult August, scoring just four goals while conceding 22, including heavy defeats to Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham United and Everton.
Results improved in September, with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion followed by a narrow 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City.
Reading then claimed their first league victory of the season against Southampton, producing a late winner in a 3-2 triumph over the side who began the weekend second in the table.
Jeremiah Berkeley-Agyepong played a key role, helping Reading recover from behind before setting up Matthias Ojo’s equaliser with a dangerous counter-attack. Lucas Daka then cut the ball back for Beacroft to seal the points in the 81st minute.
However, Reading have struggled to build on that result since returning from the international break, suffering heavy defeats to Leicester City in the Premier League Cup, Chelsea and Brentford.
Previous meetings…
Palace beat Reading 2-0 at the Academy at the start of last season, but the standout meeting came at Bearwood Park in April, where Mylo Bernard’s hat-trick inspired a superb 4-2 comeback victory for the Young Eagles.
U18 Premier League explained…
The Young Eagles compete in the U18 Premier League South, the top level of youth football for Category One academies in England.
The competition is split into northern and southern sections, with Palace playing 30 matches against 15 southern opponents, home and away.
The section now features 16 clubs after AFC Bournemouth and Brentford gained Category One status ahead of the new season, while Leicester City moved to the northern section.
At the end of the campaign, the northern and southern section winners meet to decide the national champions.
Team news
Five U18s signed new deals over the summer, with George Booth, Anthony Dove, Harley Irish, T’Shay St Louis and Callum Cliff all committing their futures to Reading.
Two familiar faces could feature against the Young Eagles, with Academy players Jayden McDonald and Aidan Morgan currently on trial with Reading.
McDonald has made four appearances for the Royals, scoring in their 3-2 victory over Southampton.
Likely line-up
Reading expected XI: Rose, Imafidon, John-Finn, Cary, Fewings, Omoregie, Berkeley-Agyepong, Smith, McDonald, Bancey, Agyekum.
Pre-match analysis
Reading have endured a tough start to the league campaign, winning just once in eight matches and conceding 30 goals – the most in the division – while scoring only 11.
The Young Royals have lost their last three games in all competitions.
Before their victory over Southampton, they had gone six league matches without a win, with a draw against Brighton and a narrow defeat to Birmingham the only results to offer encouragement amid a series of heavy losses.
Palace, meanwhile, have scored 12 goals across their last three matches and will look to exploit Reading’s defensive struggles as they target a third consecutive victory.
Key player - Berkeley-Agyepong
Berkeley-Agyepong joined Chelsea at Under-8 level and progressed through their Academy, featuring in the Under-15 side that won the Premier League Floodlit Cup.
The winger stepped up to Chelsea’s Under-18s during pre-season in 2024/25 before moving to Reading over the summer to begin the next stage of his career.
He has since emerged as one of the Royals’ main attacking threats, registering three goals and one assist to lead their scoring charts.
The Gaffer – Harrison Gilkes
Harrison Gilkes is carving out his own coaching career at Reading, following in the footsteps of his father, former Royals winger Michael Gilkes.
After a solid non-league playing career, Gilkes moved into coaching at 25 and joined Reading’s Academy structure in 2019, steadily working his way through the ranks.
He became assistant manager of the Under-18s alongside former Reading favourite Mikele Leigertwood before stepping up to take charge of the side in January 2025.
How to follow
The match will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday, with coverage beginning at 11:15 BST ahead of the 11:30 BST kick-off. Find out more and subscribe here.
Supporters can also follow live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page, with a full match report and reaction published shortly after full-time in our Academy news section.
Highlights and extended reaction will be available on Palace TV+.
Match Details
Crystal Palace U18s v Reading U18s
- Saturday, 24th October
- 11:30 BST
- Crystal Palace Academy
- U18 Premier League South
- LIVE on Palace TV+