Having been to watch the future stars of Crystal Palace take on Everton at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night, I can confirm what everyone already suspected; we have a very bright future indeed.
Putting the result aside, (we lost 2 - 1 in extra time for those that don't know) the lads went about their business in a very professional and classy manner throughout, and, although the Everton side they came up against were extremely disciplined and well drilled, the potential shown from our young charges was a joy to watch at times.
Without wanting to single individual performances out to any great extent, the talents of Ryan Inniss, Kaddell Daniel, Quade Taylor, Alex Wynter, Kyle De Silva and Reise Allassani really impressed me at varying points and for a multitude of reasons.
Inniss, who is well known to a large section of our support, thanks to his involvement with the England youth set-up, really has an assuring maturity beyond his years in the centre of defence. Not only did he show a great deal of composure on the ball and in the air, he also demonstrates a natural sense of leadership whenever the time calls for it. A fact evident on numerous occasions when he was in line with me during the 2nd half. Without doubt, he is a very exciting prospect and definitely one to keep your eye on in the next year or so.
Kaddell Daniel plays predominantly on the left side of defence, and has, whenever I've seen him play, shown incredible close ball control and pace for a defender. Quite a few times during the course of the evening I witnessed him with the ball at his feet in what most defenders would view as an extremely tight position, before jinking towards the surrounding Everton players and emerging on the other side with the ball still neatly placed at his feet. He also appears to have a huge amount of energy, and as such, proved to be a great outlet in wide positions at all stages of the match.
Quade Taylor, who was partnering Inniss in the centre of defence for all but the last 10 minutes of extra time, produced a supremely cool performance in my view. Having seen him play at least three times in the past, I can't say that I can recall him ever playing in any other way. The role of a central defender can prove to be am extremely tricky one, with the threat of calamity never far away, but Taylor goes about his game without ever letting doubt enter his mind, always looking for the best pass, and making every tackle or interception with an impressive lack of fuss. It's a great quality to have as a defender, and it's not often you come across many genuinely calm centre backs, Quade is definitely one of them.
Alex Wynter, who got the goal for the team, demonstrated just why he is so highly thought of within the club, starting the game in the centre of midfield and chasing every lost cause going, whilst also looking good on the ball whenever he found space. There was one particular point in the first half when Alex picked the ball up on the edge of our box before creating some room for himself, looking up and moving the play on in a split second, which although it may not sound spectacular, demonstrated to me what great potential he has for us. It is that kind of decision which shows the maturity of a player, who instead of winning the ball and hitting it long for the front men to chase, takes just the right amount of time to evaluate the situation before executing the simple, yet vital next stage of play. I'm certain it won't be long before we see Alex around the first team set-up.
Kyle De Silva is another well-known name to Palace fans, having previously been a poster on the BBS and also being regularly mentioned by members of our youth coaching staff as an exciting prospect. His role on Tuesday night saw him slot into the centre of midfield and look superb on the ball at all times. Although quite small in stature, his balance and ability to manoeuvre out of tight positions with little to no room is in no doubt whatsoever. He was a real attacking threat at all points, and often found himself on the edge of Everton's box, having made his way through the centre of the park with no trouble. It must be said, that the Toffee's back line was extremely solid, and as a result it was very difficult to find a final ball but it was De Silva who often looked the closest to unlocking the visitors defence.
Reise Allassani, who began the game on the left side, alternating between playing as a striker and winger for large spells, really impressed me with both his first touch and his movement off the ball. For someone so small, and it must be said, he is still tiny, he was a constant thorn in Everton's side, especially in the first half, when he often found himself on the verge of breaking through the defence. He seems to be at home playing on shoulder of the last defender, and already holds his runs far better than Clinton ever managed. I felt we lost some of our attacking edge when he was subbed half way through the second half and with time firmly on his side, I can definitely see him maturing into a real gem of a player.
That is just an appraisal of some of our starters, and as I mentioned at the beginning, all of the boys who played impressed at different points of the match. For me though, the overwhelming thing to come out of Tuesday night was just what safe hands the future of our club is in. Most sides are lucky if they have one or two players come through every few years capable of playing regularly for their first team, we not only already have players doing that in Clyne, Zaha and Scannell but now we are blessed with a new crop of talented lads just a few steps away from carrying on the Palace academies fantastic success story for another generation.
The side were backed by a crowd of over 1,000 in the main stand, and with the Holmesdale Fanatics making their presence felt at all stages with their incredible vocal backing of the boys, the night was undoubtedly a huge success regardless of the score line.
Some of the players took to Twitter after the game to express their gratitude to the fans who came to watch, and also, in some cases to apologise for the defeat, feeling as though they had let the fans down. In actual fact, they had done the complete opposite, showing a desire and work ethic that all Palace fans love to see amongst our players. For a large portion of the second half the team were serenaded by the Fanatics belting out their anti EPPP song, (it really is quite a catchy little number) and without wanting to sound too sentimental, the fact that so many people had turned up on a cold December night to watch the lads, demonstrated perfectly, why it is so important that we don't let the big clubs and money men win.
The EPPP could well stop players of the calibre spoken about earlier in this piece ever representing our academy again, and for the sake of the players in question, the supporters and football in general in this country, that must not be allowed to happen.
Until next time.
