Darren Powell says Crystal Palace Under-21s will never forget the night they won a continental trophy at Selhurst Park – the night they defeated Jong PSV 1-0 in front of a roaring crowd of red and blue-clad supporters.
Having lost last year’s final, which was the same match-up, in extra-time, the Eagles admittedly rode their luck at times again on Wednesday evening, with goalkeeper and captain Joe Whitworth an outstanding performer between the posts.
But that display, coupled with Franco Umeh’s deflected second-half strike and an incredible show of resilience throughout the Palace team was enough, on this occasion, to keep the trophy in south London. This night was Crystal Palace’s – this night was theirs.
“It’s massive, massive [for the club] – and for the players as well,” head coach Powell told Palace TV. “I say for the players, but coming here last year and losing the final… we couldn't do it again. We couldn't do it again, and that was the mantra.
“We wanted to, by all means, win it. I mean, it wasn't our best performance, but we were up against a really good side. They were really good side last year, and again, they've just got very good players. And then we rode our luck, yes, but that's football. That's football.
“I said before the game: it's about creating memories. As they go on in their life, life's all about memories, right? And wherever they go in the game, you shouldn't forget these memories.
“This [the Palace Academy] is a school of football. You go into the professional game, and you look back - it's still part of you.
“That's why I said ‘create memories. I know it was a bad memory last year, but let's create a good memory and carry that for the rest of your days.’”
Powell praised not only Whitworth’s performance but the defensive diligence it was matched with throughout his team.
“That’s why he's got the armband,” he said of Whitworth. “He's been doing that all season for us, with the amount of saves, and he's kept us in games, and the amount of penalties that he's saved, hence why he got U21s Player of the Season, and rightly so. He deserves it. He just kept us in the game today.
“But that is football, right? If you've got a good goalkeeper, or good defence, or a good goalkeeper behind you, it just keeps you alive in games.
“We rode our luck. He [Umeh] was a bit fortunate in the box. Franco, it wasn’t his cleanest strike, but the ball's in the back of the net, and no-one really talks about that – just that we won it.”
Up against a side who play their regular football in a senior competition, the Dutch third-tier, Palace kept on going, kept on fighting – and ultimately ground out their glory.
“There were so many people going down with cramp,” Powell recalled. “They play in a men's league, and you can see it, the experience and the know-how of winning the ball and using the ball…
“But the boys showed maturity as well, and again, in order to see games out like this, you've got to have a bit of character, and the mentality was right. The boys, all of them, put themselves on the line and managed to get across the line as well, so it was massive.
“As a coach, you look back and you look at individuals, and you just want to see that mentality. Have you got that mentality? And they did.
“Some went down with cramp, got themselves back up, and they ran. They kept going, they kept going, and that's one of the big things for me.”
