Crystal Palace U18 1-0 Birmingham U18

This weeks under 18 youth league game saw the young Birmingham City lads travel all the way to Crystal Palace. Often the London based teams, especially those linked to Premier League clubs, have a very good youth team and Palace are no different. I don’t know whether it is to do with the wide pool of players in London, or just that they are able to attract better players through financial means but they are always very competitive.

The game was played away which may have affected the Birmingham City side due to an increase in fatigue from the journey however with modern transport and medical assistance, I would hope that this isn’t too much of a factor.

The only goal of the game was a very unlucky one for the Blues’ to concede. 45 minutes were nearly up. Max Beardmore, the goalkeeper who I must say is very impressive for someone of his age, tangled with his own defender, Mulders, who accidentally put the ball into his own goal. Maybe it was a lack of communication but this one error cost the lads the points.

In truth, the Eagles were better than us in every aspect of the game. They were physically stronger which usually plays a huge part in the youth leagues as boys who have developed faster always look a lot better than they are and the rate of growth is so fast that you get some very weedy players but who grow into their bodies within a season.

The Palace boys had a style about them that showed they had been well coached and they were always one step ahead. They were a very powerful team who possessed both pace and skill, a really tricky combination. Therefore, the Blues did well to keep the score at 1-0.

‘Given that we were physically overpowered… (They) acquitted themselves well.’ Says Birmingham U18 gaffer, Spooner. This is very true. We could have easily been nudged off every ball but we played very smartly and this showed in the result.

A special mention goes to Bailey and Stirk who are part of the U15 and U16 squads respectively. They stepped up to the plate and didn’t look out of place in a very physically demanding game.