The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre Dome was the venue as the Crystal Palace Down Syndrome Eagles faced the Millwall Lions in a series of small-sided matches.
Palace for Life Foundation’s Down’s Syndrome team – the DS Eagles – kicked off 2018 with their first match of the year against Millwall DS Lions on Saturday January 20.
The first of three matches was an end-to-end contest, in which the Eagles took the lead with a strike into the bottom corner from outside the penalty area.
Millwall reacted quickly with a goal of their own, but it was Palace who came out on top in an eight-goal thriller.
The two DS Eagles teams played against each other in the second game, and the third and final match saw Millwall take the victory, despite a competitive game.
Louis, one of the DS Eagles, said: “I had an amazing time playing for Crystal Palace at the Dome. It was great fun to meet new friends who love football as much as I do!”
Another of the Eagles players, Aziel, agreed: “I enjoyed meeting the players from Millwall. I loved the moment when I scored, and everybody was cheering!”
Keon Richardson, Palace for Life Foundation disability officer, who arranged the friendly, felt that it was a positive experience for the players of both teams.
He said: “All the players from both teams had a smile at the end of the day, which was the biggest win for me. I encouraged the players from Millwall as much I encouraged my players because it was most important that everyone had fun playing the game and meeting new peers.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel