A much-changed Eagles had to settle for a Conference League playoff place after a 2-2 draw against KuPS
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner hailed the performance of his young players but said the club are “on track” to bring in new players in the January transfer window after securing a Conference League playoff spot with a 2-2 draw against KuPS at Selhurst Park.
Victory would have seen Palace finish in the top eight and qualify automatically for the last 16. As it is, Glasner’s men have to settle for a two-legged playoff after a much-changed Eagles side fought back to rescue a point against the Finnish champions.
Christantus Uche scored a sublime goal to give the hosts the lead after just five minutes but, despite a dominant first-half performance, Piotr Parzyszek and Ibrahim Cisse struck in quick succession for the visitors shortly after the restart to turn the game on its head.
Clinton Antwi was then dismissed for the KuPS for a wild lunge on Will Hughes, opening the door for Palace to wrestle back momentum, which they capitalised on when Justin Devenney equalised with 15 minutes remaining.
Glasner had made 11 changes to the team that started against Manchester City at the weekend, handing senior debuts for three academy graduates.
And the Palace head coach was quick to praise the performance of his youthful team.
“I was really pleased with the performance, especially of the youngsters,” Glasner told TNT Sports. “We lost a bit of the structure for 10-15 minutes. But it was nice that we came back.
“Of course we wanted to win to go straight into the last 16. Now we have the playoff games, we accept it. But again, I thought the young players played well today. It was a good experience for them.
“I was really pleased with the performance.”
Asked about potential for new additions in the January transfer window amid a growing fixture list, Glasner hinted progress was being made but remained tight-lipped on specifics.
“We started to talk about this [transfer targets] weeks ago because if we start now it’s too late.
“Everything is already on track. It’s just a case of getting the deals done. The club knows this, the board knows this.”
Next up for Palace is a trip to in-form Leeds United on Saturday in the Premier League.
