With seven league games remaining in the 2025/26 campaign, Palace sit **third** in the U18 Premier League South on 39 points, level on points with fierce rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, but with a game in hand.
The U18 Premier League is split into two regional divisions – North and South – featuring all 29 Category One academies. Each side plays home and away within their division, with the two champions meeting in a national final to decide the overall winner.
Where the young Eagles truly stand out is in attack. Palace have scored **61** league goals – the most in the southern division – and the **fourth-highest** total across both regions, behind only Liverpool (65), Chelsea (69), and Manchester City (71). Across all competitions, that tally rises to an impressive **87** goals, averaging **2.8** per game – third only to Chelsea – marginally – and City.
At the heart of that attacking output is Benji Casey. While he has stepped up to Under-21 level in recent months, limiting his U18 availability, his impact remains exceptional: **18** goals and **five** assists in just **17** appearances across all competitions.
In the league alone, Casey has featured just **11** times, making his **ninth-place** ranking in the scoring charts somewhat misleading. His minutes-per-goal ratio of **70** is comfortably the best in the division, and he is the only player to have scored **two** hat-tricks this season.
Another standout in recent months has been 6ft 6in striker David Angibeaud. Since scoring off the bench in a 4–0 win over Fulham, he has not looked back.
While he has **15** goals and four assists in **31** appearances overall, his form since that moment has been particularly striking – including a run of 10 goals in 10 games. He is also the only player in the squad to have been involved in every game.
Creativity has been just as important. Stuart Oduro has contributed **11** goals and **seven** assists, while skipper Jasper Judd has an impressive **six** assists from full-back, placing joint top in the U18 Premier League South charts alongside three others. Central midfielder Chuk Okoli, meanwhile, has also been a model of consistency, playing a Palace-high **1,637** minutes across 19 matches.
Defensively, Palace have kept **six** clean sheets – level with West Brom – and have the fourth best defence having conceded 36 goals. It underlines the balance Alonso has spoken about throughout the season: a side capable of free-flowing attacking football, while continuing to develop organisation and discipline out of possession.