Eagle Eyed Review
It has been an encouraging period for Javier Alonso’s Under-18s, who head into Thursday’s tie on the back of two emphatic victories across cup and league competition.
Palace secured their place in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup with a commanding 4-0 win away at Newcastle United on a wet and blustery Tuesday night (22nd January) at Whitley Park. The young Eagles controlled large spells of the contest, taking the lead just before the half-hour mark when David Angibeaud finished from close range.
Benji Casey doubled the advantage shortly after the restart, before Palace weathered a brief spell of Newcastle pressure – helped by a superb reaction save from ‘keeper Jack Mason. From there, the Under-18s pulled clear, with Angibeaud tapping in his second of the night and Casey adding a fourth to cap off a dominant performance.
Attention then turned back to league action on Saturday (31st January), where Palace cruised to a 5-0 victory over Birmingham City at the Academy in the U18 Premier League South. Braces from Donte Martin and Angibeaud, alongside a close-range finish from Sean Somade, sealed another convincing display.
The result lifted Palace to second place in the table, level on 27 points with Tottenham Hotspur but ahead on goal difference, and six points behind leaders Chelsea.
