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U18s Preview: Palace eye back-to-back wins against Southampton
Crystal Palace Under-18s will bid to make it consecutive league wins when they welcome Southampton to the Academy on Saturday morning.
Eagle-Eyed Review
Palace began their 2026/27 U18 Premier League South campaign with a hard-fought 3-1 victory at West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.
Either side of Joel Kerr’s penalty for West Ham, Ajean Greaves bagged two goals as captain, before debutant Toby Williams sealed the three points with a spectacular strike from the halfway line.
Fresh off the back of a historic 25/26 campaign – where Palace lifted the Premier League Cup for the first time in the club’s history – Javier Alonso’s side returned to competitive action with a thrilling mix of new talent.
The season opener saw scholars Alfie Mulvenna, Dylan Monk, Sebastian Bonsu-Amako and Kayden Moses make their competitive debuts, while Nathanael Kalembo also stepped up from the Under-16s.
Williams and Arthur O’Keefe – who was recently called up to England U16s – also made their debuts from the bench.
The Young Eagles will now look to make it two wins from two when Southampton visit the Academy.
Our opponents - Southampton U18s
Southampton also began the new campaign with a 4-2 win over U18 Premier League South debutants Brentford at Staplewood Training Centre.
The Saints trailed after Beau Redknapp struck twice inside the opening 15 minutes, but fought back to claim all three points.
Last season, Southampton finished seventh in the Premier League South with 13 wins, three draws and 12 defeats from 28 matches.
They ended the campaign strongly, going unbeaten in their final five games – including a 3-0 win over Birmingham City on the final day.
U18 Premier League Explained…
The Young Eagles compete in the U18 Premier League South, the top level of U18 football for Category One clubs in England.
The competition is split into northern and southern sections, with Palace playing 30 matches against 15 opponents, home and away.
AFC Bournemouth and Brentford have both gained Category One status ahead of the new season, taking the southern section to 16 clubs. Leicester City, meanwhile, move to the northern section.
The winners of the northern and southern sections will meet to determine the national champions.
Likely line-up
Expected Southampton XI: Clark, Vallance, Day, Martin, Robinson, Nutter, Duffy, Sainsbury, Daniels, Hawe, Little
Team news
Southampton welcomed 12 new scholars over the summer, with almost all having already featured at U18 level.
Pre-match analysis
Southampton finished seventh in the U18 Premier League South last season, collecting 42 points from 28 matches.
The Saints ended 25/26 strongly, going unbeaten in their final five games before opening the new campaign with victory over Brentford.
They now arrive at the Academy unbeaten in their last six competitive matches.
Key Players
Walter Nutter scored twice in Southampton’s opening-day victory over Brentford. The first-year scholar joined the Saints ahead of 25/26, having previously featured for Chelsea’s Academy.
Jude Daniels is another player to watch, having made 21 appearances last season and scoring six goals. The striker also scored the stoppage-time winner in Southampton’s final game of 25/26.
Max Little also made 21 appearances last season, scoring three goals and adding four assists. The England U17 international has been with Southampton since joining their pre-Academy at six.
The Gaffer – Andrew Surman
Former Southampton midfielder Andrew Surman joined the club’s U18 coaching staff in 2024.
The Academy graduate made almost 150 first-team appearances for the Saints before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2009.
He also represented Norwich City and AFC Bournemouth before retiring in 2021.
Surman began his coaching career with Bournemouth’s U18s before returning to Southampton.
How to follow
The match will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday, with coverage beginning at 10:45 BST ahead of the 11:00 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 Under-18s v Southampton Under-18s
- Saturday, 22nd August
- 11:00 BST
- Crystal Palace Academy
- U18 Premier League South
- Watch LIVE on Palace TV+