Former Blue Owen Garvan scored a second half winner from a freekick as Crystal Palace’s U21s came from behind to beat Town 2-1 at Portman Road. The young Blues had gone ahead just before half-time via trialist Ambrose Gnahore with Jonny Williams equalising shortly before the hour.
The Town squad included four trialists. In from the start on the right of midfield was 18-year-old Chelsea winger Gnahore, while Darren McQueen, a striker from Tottenham, also 18, was on the bench alongside Stoke left-back Sam Westley and Spurs winger Roman Michael-Percil, both of whom have previously featured for the U21s.
Paul Taylor, Anthony Wordsworth and Alan Lee were the outfield overage players involved, while Scott Loach was in goal.
A strong Palace line-up included former Blue Owen Garvan, keeper Wayne Hennessey, central defender Paddy McCarthy and striker Dwight Gayle. The former Peterborough striker hit the game’s first shot from 25 yards in the fourth minute but Loach was equal to it.
Veteran Blues striker Lee wasn’t far from putting Town in front on 12 when he turned trialist Gnahore’s cross from the right goalwards but Hennessey blocked. Moments later, Taylor curled a shot wide.
Matthew Clarke, at centre-half, made an important challenge to dispossess Eagles right midfielder Reise Allassani on 17 as he broke into the area.
The visitors ought to have gone ahead in the 20th minute when Allassani found Jonny Williams at the far post but the left midfielder hit the ball straight at Loach.
Gayle missed an even better opportunity three minutes later when threaded in by Williams but completely missed the target when he looked certain to beat the advancing Loach. Soon after, Lee made way for trialist McQueen, due to what looked like a hamstring injury.
Taylor found Wordsworth with a cross from the left on the half hour, keeper Hennessey claiming his looping header on the line.
Hennessey made a more impressive stop a minute later, getting down to his left to push Taylor’s low curling shot wide.
On 37 Ali Gordon sent a low ball across the Town six-yard box from the right with both sides having created chances in what had been an entertaining game.
The Blues went ahead three minutes before the break. Taylor brought the ball forward and laid it wide to Byron Lawrence on the left. The second-year scholar whipped over a superb cross, which trialist Gnahore slammed in at the back post. The Chelsea youngster, who had already shown one or two promising moments, clearly enjoyed his goal.
Town were probably a touch fortunate to find themselves ahead at the break with Jonny Williams and Gayle having missed good chances for the visitors. However, the Blues had created one or two openings of their own before trialist Gnahore’s well-worked goal shortly before the break.
Lawrence forced Hennessey into an early second half save with a sharp strike from the left of the area.
The Eagles got back on terms in the 56th minute when Omar Sowumni diverted Jake Gray’s right-wing cross into the path of Jonny Williams, who smashed across Loach and into the net.
Town almost went ahead again within a minute, Lawrence shooting over, then impressive Palace goalscorer Williams forced Loach to save with a low strike from the left having been found by Gayle.
Moments later, Allassani’s cross-shot from the left flew beyond Loach’s far post, then Gray blazed over having been teed up by Williams with the visitors starting to take control. Tiring trialist Gnahore was replaced by Michael-Percil just after the hour.
Sub Michael-Percil sent Kyle Hammond away on the right in the 63rd minute, the right-back whipping across a low ball which McQueen slammed the wrong side of the post.
Former Blue Garvan put the Eagles in front in 67th minute with a low curling freekick from 20 yards, which Loach could only push into the net to his right. The goal seemed a touch fortunate to have crept in, but had been coming with the South Londoners having been on top since equalising.
Ted Bishop almost created a leveller for the Blues on 72, sending over a cross from the left which Gordon nodded over the bar ahead of McQueen. Wordsworth shot over from the edge of the box as the game moved into its final 15 minutes.
With six minutes remaining Palace left-back Jerome Williams hit a shot from a tight angle which crashed off the underside bar before going out for a throw-in with neither side threatening again before the whistle.
Given the strength of the Palace side, the Blues were always going to be up against it to get a result, but they were far from out-classed.
Taylor was lively and on the move throughout, and will hope to have done enough to earn a start against Birmingham on Saturday, while Wordsworth was more influential than in most U21 games this season.
Goalscoring trialist Gnahore had a couple of promising moments before tiring, while Michael-Percil created one opening but was physically out-battled for the most part. McQueen was quick but was largely a peripheral figure and missed his only real opportunity.
For Palace, winning goalscorer Garvan, a player Blues boss Mick McCarthy has recently been eyeing, put in a tidy display in central midfield.
U21s: Loach, Hammond, Mings, Bishop, Sowunmi, Clarke, Gnahore (Michael-Percil 61), Wordsworth, Lee (McQueen 26), Taylor, Lawrence. Unused: Crowe, Westley, Adekunle.
Palace: Hennessey, Gordon, Jerome Williams, Dymond, McCarthy, Chambers, Allassani, Garvan, Gayle, Gray (Ferrier 82), Jonny Williams (Sow 84). Unused: Gregory, Croll, Tieku.