A familiar face was on show as the Crystal Palace U21 side took on Gillingham in an EFL Trophy clash on Tuesday.
Jonny Williams was named in the starting XI for Gillingham – a man who 70 appearances for Crystal Palace after emerging from the academy in 2011.
Goals from Jemiah Umolu, Franco Umeh and Hindolo Mustapha secured an impressive 3-1 win for the Crystal Palace U21 side against the League Two outfit, but how did Williams fare against his old club? Let’s take a look…
Jonny Williams reunited with Crystal Palace
The 30-year-old delivered an impressive performance against the Crystal Palace U21 side, who he himself made one appearance for before swiftly breaking into the senior setup back in 2011.
As SofaScore shows, Williams completed 81% of his 31 passes – with one going down as a key pass creating a chance – while he also won a freekick, one tackle and, surprisingly given his 5ft 6in frame, one aerial duel.
The man from Pembury was then replaced by Jayden Clarke in the 71st minute.
Some showed they can emulate the 30-year-old at Selhurst Park
Williams was a very highly rated prospect at Crystal Palace, earning the nickname Joniesta in the youth ranks for his likeness to Andres Iniesta, before a broken leg on international duty with Wales set him on a cruel path of niggling injuries.
However, some in yellow for Crystal Palace on Tuesday showed signs they can emulate the Wales international and become a first-team player at Selhurst Park.
Notably, Asher Agbinone, who scored a great goal against Wolves in the United States during the summer, looked incredibly sharp, driving forwards with the ball while showing close control and electric pace – in truth, the winger almost appears to be a clone of Wilfried Zaha.
Zack Marsh was another to impress.
The 18-year-old shone in the 2023/24 campaign with four hat-tricks in just 12 U18 Premier League appearances, netting 16 goals in total.
In fact, Marsh has even been named amongst the top 50 talents in London right now by the Evening Standard.
These talents still have plenty of work to do, but as things stand, the future looks incredibly bright for Crystal Palace.
