Barnsley U23s face a stern examination on Monday afternoon as they travel to Crystal Palace in the Professional Development League.
The Eagles finished last season top of the South division, but were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest in the play-off semi-final after extra time.
Like Barnsley, the Selhurst Park outfit have a rich history of developing players to go on and feature for the first team, with Nathaniel Clyne, Victor Moses, Wilfried Zaha and, most recently, Aaron Wan-Bissaka all progressing through their set-up.
Another gem amongst the Eagles’ youth ranks is Nya Kirby, having moved to south London from Tottenham Hotspur two years ago. The midfield maestro was also part of the England squad that won the U17 FIFA World Cup last year.
Kirby was introduced nine minutes from time in the final against Spain with England 3-2 ahead, as the Three Lions went on to claim a memorable 5-2 victory in Kolkata, India.
Richard Shaw’s side suffered their first defeat of the campaign last week as they were beaten 2-1 by Burnley in Lancashire. On target for Palace was Levi Lumeka, who made his first team debut against the Clarets in September 2017.
Barnsley will be looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats against Cardiff City and Charlton Athletic when they travel to Selhurst Park, having shipped six goals and scored none in their past two outings.
The spoils have been shared on both meetings between the two sides; a 0-0 stalemate at Oakwell last season and a 2-2 draw at Palace back in August 2016.
For any travelling supporters, tickets can be purchased from the Box Office at Selhurst Park on the day. Tickets are priced at £3 for adults and £1 for concessions. Kick-off is at 1pm.
You will also be able to follow the game live on the official Academy Twitter account: @AcademyBFC.
