Jack Hinshelwood scored a superb last-minute winner to seal Albion a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in Tuesday’s Premier League under-18 game at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre.
The central midfielder, and son of former Albion player and current Worthing manager Adam Hinshelwood, curled a cracking right-footed strike across goal and into the top corner from 25 yards to secure his side three points.
The last-gasp winner was the one moment of real quality on a damp afternoon in Lancing, with both sides cancelling each other out for long spells and clear-cut chances few and far between.
After a quiet opening quarter of an hour, it was Palace who had the first shot, but Killian Cahill in the Albion goal stood tall to save Maliq Cadogan’s strike with his feet and then held onto Victor Akinwale’s low effort five minutes later.
At the other end, Leigh Kavanagh could only head Zak Sturge’s pinpoint corner over the bar when he was unmarked, before Elliott Jenks poked a strike just wide of the near post five minutes before the break.
It was a first half of few chances, and the second period started in similar fashion, but Albion were growing in confidence and were so nearly ahead on the hour mark when Ruairi McConville had a header well saved by Palace goalkeeper Joseph Whitworth.
The introduction of Marcus Ifill added to the home side’s attacking threat and he was the next to test Whitworth when his strike from just inside the box was turned behind, before Billie Clark and Zak Emmerson had shots blocked on the edge of the area.
Albion were pushing for that elusive goal, but when Palace’s Joe Sheridan headed straight at Cahill from eight yards with just over ten minutes remaining, it looked like both sides would be forced to settle for a point.
Hinshelwood, however, had other ideas and after receiving the ball on the right-hand side of the box in the 90th minute, he swept home his splendid winner and sent his teammates into raptures.
Albion: Cahill, McConville (sub: Gee 60), Sturge, Kavanagh, Jackson, Hinshelwood, Smith (sub: Ifill 54), Jenks, Duffus, Clark (sub: Albarus 76), Emmerson.
Subs not used: Beadle, Ryan.