A late show from the Crystal Palace Under-18s saw them come from behind with 10 minutes remaining to win 2-1 against Barnsley, on a cold Wednesday evening at Oakwell.
Summary
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Rob Quinn named a strong side, with Tayo Adaramola and Jack Wells-Morrison coming in from the Under-23s
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Adeomla Ola-Adebomi registered Palace’s first chance 20 minutes in but his header was turned behind
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Victor Akinwale burst into the Barnsley half, but was denied by the recovering defenders
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Joe Whitworth did well to smother Barnsley’s best chance of the half
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Half-time: Barnsley 0-0 Crystal Palace
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Barnsley came racing out the blocks and were on top at the start of the second-half
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The Tykes took the lead 70 minutes in through Fabio Jalo
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Palace responded well as Akinwale levelled from the spot with just over 10 minutes remaining
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Ola-Adebomi put Palace in front, after latching on to a deadly Fionn Mooney ball across the box, in the 87th minute
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Full-time: Barnsley 1-2 Crystal Palace
Four days on from the the 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, Rob Quinn’s young Eagles ventured to South Yorkshire to take on Barnsley in the third round of the FA Youth Cup.
With Palace holding Category 1 Academy status, they entered the FA Youth Cup in the Third Round Proper alongside their Category 2 hosts.
Both sides emerged from the tunnel at Oakwell with a point to prove, since they were both knocked out at this stage of the tournament last season, however the opening exchanges left a lot to be desired.
Palace mustered the game’s first chance of note in the 20th minute, as skipper Joe Sheridan headed a Jack Wells-Morrison free-kick across the box. The ball fell to Ademola Ola-Adebomi inside the box who saw his header parried behind for a corner.
The hosts registered their first chance of the game at the half-hour mark, as space opened up for Fabio Jalo, though the striker skewed his effort wide of the target.
Jalo’s effort proved to be a turning point in the half as the chances started to flow thick and fast for both sides. Leading goalscorer Victor Akinwale burst into the final third from the half-way line, after a well controlled header and shaped to shoot, however the Barnsley defence recovered just in time to win the ball back.
Moments later the Tykes were bearing down on the Palace goal through left-back Hayden Pickard, but he was thwarted by an onrushing Joe Whitworth. Pickard had another effort, though his effort was well blocked by the Palace defence.
Palace looked dangerous on the counter as the interval approached, racing into the Barnsley half off the back of their corner, though they couldn’t fashion a chance as the whistle blew.
Barnsley came racing out the blocks in the second-half, with Keegan Hartley and Jalo having chances - though they weren’t close to troubling Whitworth in the Palace goal.
Second-half substitute Adler Nascimento nearly made an instant impact after coming on in the 55th minute, ghosting in at the far post and forcing a corner from a floated Wells-Morrison ball into the box.
The Portuguese winger forced David Aziaya into a save on the hour mark five minutes later, after bursting into the box and firing a shot away at a tight angle.
Whitworth was called into action immediately afterwards as Barnsley attacked down their left-hand side. The ball fell to spinning Hartley inside the Palace box, though his tame effort was well held.
With just over 20 minutes left on the clock, the hosts took the lead. Jalo found the back of the net after Harrison Jedman played a long ball over the top which caught the Palace defence off guard.
Barnsley nearly doubled their lead through Pickard four minutes later. The left-back thundered a powerful strike at goal after being teed up by Jalo, however his effort was blocked off the line by Adaramola.
Palace looked for a route back into the game with just over 10 minutes remaining and were handed a lifeline from the spot as Nascimento was brought down inside the box. Leading goalscorer Akinwale stepped up and made no mistake as he sent Aziaya the wrong way.
The momentum from the equaliser spurred the young Eagles into finding a winner and they did just that with three minutes of normal time remaining. Ola-Adebomi found himself in acres of space inside the six-yard box, getting on the end of a deadly Fionn Mooney ball across the box from the right hand side.
After getting their noses in front, the young Eagles tactfully saw out the remainder of the game. Six additional minutes of stoppage time came and went as the final whistle blew and the south Londoners confirmed their place in the Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup.
Rob Quinn’s young Eagles will face Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in the Fourth Round, the tie is scheduled to take place in early January.
Barnsley: Aziaya, Hall, Pickard, Hickingbottom, Benson, Murchison, Nejman, Goucher, Smith (Dyer 79), Hartley, Jalo.
Subs not used: Ravenhill, Claude-Makiessi, Doyle, Dyer, Chapman, Lacey, Benjamin.
Crystal Palace: Whitworth, Rodney, Adaramola, Ozoh, Sheridan, Bartley, Cadogan (Nascimento 55), Wells-Morrison, Akinwale, Mooney, Ola-Adebomi.
Subs not used: Goodman, Barton, Vigor, Dixon, Ling, Williams.
Celebration photo credit - Luke Lebihan