A wonderful summers evening and a first friendly trip of the pre-season to see what the Palace U21s had to offer. A nice ground named the GAC Stadium down in the corner of East Court was filling up nicely half hour before kick-off.
Watching a youth team is always difficult. No player names on the back of shirts but there are always a few that you recognise. Highly rated players such as Wynter, Allessani and Boateng would normally have appeared but they were in Portugal with the first team but there was plenty more to see.
The game kicked off and the young Eagles took control as expected. It was only a matter of seconds before some good work resulted in Palace taking the lead through a headed effort from Kwesi Appiah. The lead was doubled soon after with the impressive Jake Gray picking up a through ball and rounding the keeper to slot home.
There was very little to speak of from the home side as the Eagles kept up the pressure with some great quick passing, every player hungry for the ball and wanting to take it on and play. Even if the home side did get forward they had the man mountain Innis to greet them ably partnered by Chambers. There were plenty of efforts to make it three for the visitors from the impressive Jake Nicholson (on trial after being released from Tottenham), Appiah and Iriebi all going close. But it did arrive soon enough with full back Gordon sending in a great cross for Appiah to fire home for his second of the game.
Palace went 4-0 up through the trialist from Belgium Ismael H’Maidat who cut inside from the wing and finishing low into the bottom corner past the hapless keeper. Chances kept on coming but the half arrived with no further scoring.
Youth team boss Gary Issott made several changes at the half and this led to the home side having more possession than they saw in the first half. While it made it a fair bit more competitive it did effect the pace of the game and it turned a little scrappy. Appiah stayed on to try and get his hat-trick but it wasn’t to be. Nicholson returned to the action mid-way through the second half and it was him that put Palace further ahead with a stunning effort from outside of the area.
Connor Dymond bossed the game in the middle but the home side did have their only real clear cut chance of the game late on but the striker hesitated allowing the Palace defence to get back and block well. Finishing the scoring in the last minute was former QPR youth player Marcel Henry-Francis who slotted the ball past the keeper to make the final score 6-0 to the visitors from South London.
Palace U21s (1st half): Fitzsimmons, Gordon, Berkely-Agyepong, Sow, Inniss, Chambers, Nicholson, Gray, Appiah, Iriebi, H’Maidat
(2nd half): Gregory, Gordon, Kinda-John, Taylor, Croll, Harriott, Dymond, Henry-Francis, Tiehu, Uduwaga, Appiah (Nicholson)
Match report as featured on the Palace Stats website. Follow them on Twitter here
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