U18s Report: 10-man Eagles make it five unbeaten at Brighton

After the centre-back was sent off just 15 minutes into the match, Palace came from behind thanks to a goal from Ajean-Ray Greaves to secure a 1-1 draw on the road, and further their recent unbeaten recent stretch to five matches.

Summary:

• 15: Red card for Palace. Shittu commits a foul as the last man.
• 28: Dzekawong forces Benetton into his first save of the game.
• 34: Condy unable to convert a one-on-one as Benetton tips his effort wide.
• HT: Brighton & Hove Albion U18s 0-0 Palace U18s
• 54 – GOAL: 1-0. Brennan scores from long distance to give Brighton the lead.
• 64: Benetton tips a powerful shot from Stephens over the bar.
• 70: Martin tests Wilson-Papps with a driven shot.
• 74 – GOAL: Greaves equalises for Palace.
• 95: Condy mishits a volley wide from close range.
• FT: Brighton & Hove Albion U18s 1-1 Palace U18s

In the wake of their three consecutive victories in all competitions, Crystal Palace U18s faced arch-rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in the U18 Premier League South.

The Young Eagles were forced to make two changes to the starting XI for this morning’s fixture, as red cards for Alfie Mulvenna and Daniel Owoade in Palace’s previous match made them unavailable for selection. In their place, Remi Shittu and Nat Kalembo were selected.

Shittu’s involvement in the clash was short-lived, however. After Finn Dzekawong stole the ball off the toes of the young centre-back, the Brighton forward raced towards Palace’s goal. Shittu eventually dragged him down just outside the penalty area, and a red card was brandished as punishment.

Although the game started competitively, with both teams keen to build on their recent run of positive results, the red card changed the dynamic entirely.

Naturally, the hosts were afforded more time on the ball and space to play, and chances began to come their way.

Picking up a loose ball in a congested penalty area, Dzekawong brilliantly weaved through a crowd of Palace defenders to register the first shot on target of the clash. His effort was powerful, but straight at Lucca Benetton, who comfortably steered the ball away from goal.

With Brighton well on top, the Palace ‘keeper was quickly called into action again. This time it was to deny Christopher Condy, the recipient of a perfectly weighted through ball from Mason Stephens on the right flank. Despite being left one-on-one with Benetton, Condy couldn’t convert the opportunity, as the goalkeeper produced another impressive stop.

The first-half ended goalless, but, unfortunately for Javier Alonso’s side, the Young Eagles’ impressive resilience was broken 10 minutes into the second-half.

Following an unsuccessful clearance on the edge of the Palace penalty area, the ball fell invitingly to Zachary Brennan about 25 yards out. The midfielder opened his body up and struck a wicked shot, flying past Benetton into the top corner.

Though Palace were resolute in defence, Brighton’s numerical advantage weighed heavily on the flow of the match. Stephens forced a smart save from Benetton after a neat Brighton move, and Jacob Parsons narrowly missed with an overhead kick from short range, but the lead remained slender.

Palace were fighting, and they were rewarded for their collective spirit just before the 75-minute mark.

Displaying immense strength and composure, Donte Martin collected the ball on the halfway line, holding off and spinning past a pressuring defender. He slipped a probing pass behind the Brighton backline towards Ajean-Ray Greaves, who was sprinting forward from his own half, and the Palace captain was left with just the ‘keeper to beat.

Showing no sign of nerves, Greaves drilled a low shot past Wilson-Papps into the bottom left corner, levelling the game at 1-1.

Understanding the difficult task they faced, Palace began to drop even deeper in defence after their equaliser. Martin, Jay Jordan and Toby Williams provided a threat on the counter-attack, but the game plan was clear: hold on to the point.

Even with large portions of possession, Brighton couldn’t consistently challenge Benetton in the Palace net. A glaring opportunity fell to Condy in the final moments of the game, but the forward mishit his volley wide, ensuring the game ended level.

Although it wasn’t quite the free-scoring performance that Palace U18s have become accustomed to of late, Alonso will be proud of his team’s ability to overcome adversity and earn a positive result in difficult conditions.

Next weekend, Crystal Palace U18s will return home to face Aston Villa in the next round of the English U18 Premier League Cup.

Brighton: Wilson-Papps (GK), Cooper, Nneji (Widdop, 45), Evans, Ezenwata, Brennan, Stephens, Hartshorn (Parsons, 45), Condy, Dzekawong (Pope, 65), Oppong (Sykens, 85).

Subs not used: Doyle, Smith, Dizayee.

Palace: Benetton (GK), Kalembo, Lamidi (Anderson, 11), Bonsu-Amako, Bull, Shittu, Greaves, Fasida, Martin (Williams, 88), Lee, Bernard-Ferguson (Jordan, 68).

Subs not used: Trialist, Baah, Tejan, Moses.