Crystal Palace Under-21s advance to the final 32
Crystal Palace Under-21s advanced to the final 32 of the EFL Trophy for the first time with a 2-1 victory over Newport County at Rodney Parade.
Goals from Jasper Judd and David Angibeaud were enough to cancel out James Crole's equalizer and send the excellent young Eagles into the knockout stages
Palace started strongly and broke the deadlock on 10 minutes when Jasper reacted first to a corner before slotting past County keeper Jake Turner.
And despite looking second best for most of the first half, the Exiles almost drew level when Dan Sassi's header was acrobatically cleared off the line by Eagles captain George King.
The much-improved hosts found their equaliser shortly after half time when Crole, on his first start since County secured their League Two survival on the final day of last season, tapped home from close range.
Both sides pressed for the winner, and visiting striker David Angibeaud delivered the decisive blow when his clever turn and finish found the bottom corner.
The home side pushed for another equaliser and almost found one when Kieron Evans went close deep into injury time, but the youngsters held on to deservedly reach the next round.
The young Eagles go top of Group E, but could slip to second if Plymouth Argyle secure victory against already-eliminated Swindon Town on Tuesday, 10 November.
Newport crash out the EFL Trophy after defeat to Crystal Palace
