Jake Gray
Standing at 5’11” Jake Gray has portrayed a wide array of strengths this season, whether it has been for the u21s or for Cheltenham where he spent a month on loan. Gray can dribble, cross and shoot just about everything you could ask from a winger.
What is evne more more impressive is that for a player of his age, nineteen, Jake shows a lot of maturity in his decision making; he knows when to release the ball and when to exploit a gap in an oppositions defence by dribbling through.
As many football fans know, Crystal Palace have been famed for producing wonderful wingers over the years, with one home grown talent playing for the first team currently in Wilfried Zaha; so if Jake does manage to make the step up you would imagine there will be support and guidance from players that understand how difficult it can be breaking into the first team. Either way don’t be surprised to see this man staring for Palace in the years to come.
Jerome Binnom-Williams
This lad really defines what it takes to be a modern day full-back. He loves to get forward and assist the attack and won’t pass up any opportunity to do just that. Jerome’s electric pace and stamina certainly assists in him doing this all game.
Arguably one thing that makes Jerome unconventional is that with him being 6’2″ he stands a powerful figure, much like current first choice full backs Joel Ward and Martin Kelly. This is potentially something that will assist Binnom-Williams when it comes to forcing himself into the first team.
At 20-years-old, Binnom-Williams is one of the slightly more experienced players in Palace’s youth team and has been able to record successful loan spells at Forest Green and more recently Southend. No doubt just like every other player on these lists I believe Jerome has a great chance of breaking into the first team, with his physicality and size being a feather in his cap.
Chris Kettings
Though Chris hasn’t featured for the U21’s this season it’s hard not to include him in this list because of young age, twenty-two. Kettings stands an imposing figure for his age though and at 6’4″ he’s no doubt an imposing figure for any striker to come up against.
Unlike many other young players his age Chris trains with the first team, more specifically alongside club legend Julian Speroni and Welsh international Wayne Hennessey so he’s certainly learning from the best.
All in all though for a goalkeeper of Chris’s age the best thing for him would be to secure a loan move to another club for a season or so as it doesn’t look as though there’s going to be many first team opportunities for him looking at the goalkeeper above him in the pecking order. Only time will tell if the Scotsman will make it as Palace’s number one in years to come.
