Floodlit Shield Final Preview: Palace and Manchester United set for historic trilogy decider

Match previews

8 May 2026

Crystal Palace Under-15s will face Manchester United in the U15 Floodlit Shield Final on Saturday at the Crystal Palace Academy (11:00 BST), as the young Eagles look to make history by lifting the trophy for the first time in what will be a third and final meeting between the two academies this season.

Floodlit Shield Explained

The Floodlit Cup is an Under-15 competition within the Premier League’s Youth Development Phase (YDP), designed to expose players to the demands of evening football and challenging playing conditions. The experience helps prepare young players for the Professional Development Phase (PDP) and, ultimately, senior football.

Palace have been regular competitors in the Floodlit Cup and enjoyed a strong run in the competition between 2018/19 and 2022/23, reaching the Regional Final in every edition during that period before winning the National Final in 2023.

Widely regarded as one of the standout competitions within the YDP calendar, the tournament has become a highly sought-after challenge for academies across the country since its introduction in 2016.

Unlike the Floodlit Cup – which Palace have won before, including in 2023 with familiar names such as Charlie Walker-Smith, Jasper Judd and Benji Casey involved – the Floodlit Shield offers the young Eagles a fresh opportunity to claim silverware and gain valuable experience in a high-level knockout environment.

Palace’s road to the Floodlit Shield Final

Palace were handed a challenging Floodlit Cup group this season alongside Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford. The young Eagles finished third, recording two victories – including an impressive 4-2 comeback win over Chelsea – alongside a draw.

They ultimately missed out on progression by a single point, narrowly falling short of second-place Fulham on goal difference.

That result saw Palace enter the Floodlit Shield, where Josh Bednash’s side have impressed throughout the knockout rounds.

The young Eagles booked their place in the final with victories over Bournemouth in the Round of 16, Leicester City in the quarter-finals and West Ham United in a hard-fought semi-final clash.

Palace struck first inside 15 minutes against West Ham when Henry Armstrong delivered a superb free-kick from just inside the Hammers’ half towards the far post, where Frank Oduro timed his run perfectly to head beyond the diving goalkeeper.

West Ham pushed hard for an equaliser, but Under-14 goalkeeper Fletcher Jerden – stepping up an age group – produced a string of outstanding saves to keep Palace in front.

On the half-hour mark, Armstrong reacted quickest to a clearance and found Oduro, whose bundled effort fell kindly for Fortune Edokpaye to calmly finish from close range and double the lead.

Jerden continued to impress throughout the second half with several important interventions. Although West Ham pulled one back in stoppage time, Palace held firm to secure a deserved 2-1 victory and a place in the final.

Match Preview

The young Eagles now face Manchester United in the Floodlit Shield Final – the latest chapter in what has become a memorable month of academy meetings between the two clubs.

At Under-18 level, the sides shared dramatic encounters in both the FA Youth Cup and Premier League Cup. Palace suffered heartbreak in the former as a 116th-minute Chido Obi strike ended the club’s first FA Youth Cup semi-final run in nearly 30 years, before the young Eagles responded in style by lifting their first-ever Under-18 Premier League Cup following a dramatic penalty shootout victory in front of more than 4,000 supporters at Selhurst Park.

United finished third in the Floodlit Cup North Regional Division C standings. After opening with defeat to Wigan Athletic, the young Reds produced an emphatic 7-0 victory over Sheffield United before drawing 4-4 with Manchester City. In the reverse fixtures, United again shared high-scoring draws with Wigan and Sheffield United before falling to Manchester City.

Their Floodlit Shield campaign began with a 3-2 victory over Stoke City, inspired by a Jaice hat-trick, before further wins over Everton and Sunderland secured their place in the final.

United also arrive with strong pedigree in this age group. Last season, their Under-15s produced a remarkable comeback in the Premier League Floodlit Cup North Final, recovering from 3-0 down with 12 minutes remaining to defeat Manchester City 4-3 before going on to beat Chelsea 3-1 in the National Final.

Among the names involved was Kai Rooney, son of Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who scored the dramatic winning goal in the national final.

Despite United’s strong record in the competition, Palace have already enjoyed success this season. Josh Bednash’s side lifted the Merseyside Cup with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool earlier in the campaign and have also reached the AFCA Cup final following an emphatic 5-0 win over Watford at Vicarage Road.

As part of the Youth Development Phase format, the final will consist of two 40-minute halves, with a 10-minute half-time interval. Should the match remain level, extra-time will be played over two 10-minute periods before penalties if required.

How to follow

Unfortunately, the match will not be streamed live on Palace TV+ due to the Under-18s’ league fixture against West Bromwich Albion taking place at the same time.

Supporters can follow updates via the Academy X (Twitter) account, with a full match report and reaction available shortly after full-time on the Academy news section of the club website.

Match Details

Crystal Palace Under-15s v Manchester United Under-15s

Saturday, 9th May
Crystal Palace Academy
11:00 BST
Floodlit Shield Final

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