Crystal Palace Under-18s produced a devastating first-half performance before holding off a spirited Reading comeback to win 5-3 at the Academy on Saturday. The result secured consecutive league victories and extended the Young Eagles’ run to three wins in all competitions.
Donte Martin was the standout performer, scoring three times for a second successive match. Makai Bernard-Ferguson and Jacob Fasida also found the net as Palace raced into a 5-0 lead before half-time, with Martin’s final goal of the treble a superb low finish from 25 yards. Bernard-Ferguson added a composed curling effort, while Fasida completed a well-worked move shortly before the interval.
Reading responded quickly after the restart through Fewings, but Palace continued to create opportunities as they looked to restore their five-goal advantage. Jay Jordan made his Under-18s debut after entering at half-time, while goalkeeper Lucca Benetton produced several important saves to protect the lead.
The contest became increasingly tense in the closing stages. Daniel Owoade was shown a red card in the 70th minute for bringing down Henry Agyekum as the last defender, and Reading took advantage when Agyekum and Ethan Heywood reduced the deficit to two goals. Palace were then reduced to nine men when Alfie Mulvenna was dismissed, but Benetton made another excellent stop from the resulting free-kick and the hosts held firm.
Raihaan Anderson went close to a sixth goal, first sending an effort wide before striking the crossbar in added time. The victory lifted Palace to 10th in the 16-team U18 Premier League South with 10 points. Javier Alonso’s side will next visit arch-rivals Brighton on Saturday, with the match scheduled for an 11:00 BST kick-off and set to be shown live on Palace TV+.
