U21s Report: Young Eagles suffer pre-season defeat at Horsham

Summary:

• A separate Palace XI is named for the opening 60 minutes and final 30.
• 5 – Goal: Meekums fires Horsham ahead.
• 9: Hill denies Luer with a strong save from a tight angle.
• 15 – Goal: Meekums doubles the hosts’ advantage.
• 20: Sealey volleys trialist B’s cross just over the bar.
• 28: Sealey rounds the ‘keeper but is booked for simulation after penalty appeals are waved away.
• 31 – Goal: Harding converts a scramble inside the box to make it three.
• 33 – Goal disallowed: Martin heads Nascimento’s cross home, but is ruled offside.
• 37: Nascimento’s low effort is comfortably gathered by trialist A.
• 39: Hill parries away a powerful effort from close range.
• 42 – Goal: Yila extends Horsham’s lead before the break.
• HT: Horsham 4-0 Palace U21s
• 49: Williams is charged down inside the area before he can get a shot away.
• 51: Nascimento fires narrowly wide from the edge of the box.
• 55 – GOAL: Nascimento skips past Brivio’s challenge and slots underneath the ‘keeper to pull one back for Palace.
• 60: Palace introduce a new XI.
• 67: Strange’s header crashes into the side-netting from Hammond’s free-kick.
• 73: Owoade loses his footing on the byline as he looks to tee up Frazer-Williams for a simple finish.
• 84: Hill pushes clear Ronan Silva's close-range shot at the far post.
• FT: Horsham 4-1 Palace U21s

After suffering defeat to National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge in their opening pre-season outing, Palace travelled to fellow Step Two outfit Horsham looking to return to winning ways.

Darren Powell once again fielded separate XIs across the opening hour and final 30 minutes, with 'keeper Marcus Hill the only player to complete the full 90.

Horsham threatened first after just two minutes. Jamie Yila won possession and surged down the right before whipping a dangerous cross towards Reece Myles-Meekums, who miscued his volley wide.

The Hornets continued to pose a threat, with Yila again providing the danger as another delivery picked out Myles-Meekums, whose close-range effort was well saved by Hill. The pressure soon told, though, as Myles-Meekums turned home an inviting ball across the face of goal to give the hosts the lead.

Minutes later, Hill was called into action once more, making a strong save to deny Greg Luer’s strike from a tight angle on the left of the area.

Horsham continued to enjoy the majority of possession as the Young Eagles were forced to defend for long spells. On 15 minutes, Myles-Meekums rounded Hill and doubled the hosts’ advantage.

Palace began to grow into the contest and, five minutes later, came close to reducing the deficit. Trialist B delivered a superb cross towards the far post from the left flank, but Amaari Sealey could not quite get over the ball and volleyed the wrong side of the bar.

Hill was called into action again moments later, denying Myles-Meekums at the near post, before Sealey’s persistence almost created an opening at the other end. The forward latched onto a loose pass back to the 'keeper, rounded him and went down, but his penalty appeals were waved away and he was shown a yellow card for simulation.

Horsham had the ball in the net again shortly afterwards, but Luer was ruled offside. The hosts soon added a third, however, with Harding converting a pinball-like scramble inside the box following a free-kick.

On 34 minutes, Powell’s side thought they had scored their first goal of pre-season when Donte Martin headed home Adler Nascimento’s whipped cross, only for the effort to be adjudged offside.

As half-time approached, Hill produced two brilliant saves in quick succession, first parrying away a powerful effort from close range before tipping a header acrobatically over the bar. Despite his best efforts, Hill was beaten again before the break, as Yila extended the Hornets’ advantage and sent Palace into the interval four goals down...

Palace started the second half brightly, moving the ball well and showing more attacking intent.

Tyler Whyte’s pressing forced a defensive error and the ball fell kindly to Seb Williams inside the area, but a yellow and green shirt was quick to close him down. Moments later, Nascimento worked the ball onto his left foot and fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

The momentum had shifted, with the Young Eagles now enjoying more of the play, and they were rewarded shortly afterwards. Nascimento reacted quickest to a loose ball, skipped past Jack Brivio’s sliding challenge and calmly slotted underneath the trialist ‘keeper to score Palace’s first goal of pre-season.

With the exception of Hill, who continued between the sticks, that proved to be the final contribution for the opening XI, as Powell made a further set of changes for the closing 30 minutes with Palace looking to build on their much-improved second-half display.

Midway through the half, the Hornets reminded Palace of their threat as Hammond’s deep free-kick found Jack Strange, whose header crashed into the side-netting.

The contest had become more evenly balanced as it entered the final stages. Khyan Frazer-Williams burst into the area and released Daniel Owoade, who lost his footing as he looked to return the ball for a simple finish.

Powell’s side continued to push for a second goal, applying sustained pressure and probing the Horsham defence in search of reducing the deficit.

The hosts remained dangerous on the counter, though, and a fine ball across the box from Ronan Silva picked out Hammond, whose effort was well saved by Hill at his far post.

That proved to be the final action of the game as the referee brought proceedings to a close. Despite the result, the Young Eagles showed a much-improved second-half display and gained further valuable minutes against strong senior opposition.

Attention now turns to a behind-closed-doors friendly against Millwall on Friday morning.

Palace (60 minutes): Hill (GK); Trialist B, Trialist A, Somade, Whyte; Adams-Collman, Sealey, Williams; Nascimento ©, Martin, Anderson.

Palace (30 minutes): Hill (GK); Frazer-Williams, Trialist A, Shittu, Greaves; Okoli ©, Fasida, Danaher; Owoade, McDonald, Moses.

Horsham FC: Trialist A, Harding, Brivio ©, Strange, Hammond, Trialist B, Hester-Cook, Trialist C, Meekums, Luer, Yila (Hammond, 62).

Subs not used: Taylor, Elliot, Hammond, trialist D, trialist E, trialist F, Nadesan, trialist G.