Teenage sensation Jack Green, playing his first home friendly of the summer, needed just over one minute to make his mark at Clarence Park on Tuesday by firing the Saints into an early lead during an enjoyable 1-1 draw with a Crystal Palace XI.

Jack, who is still a month away from his 18th birthday and has filled out physically most notably since scoring the winner against Ebbsfleet on his last outing at the Park in April, received generous praise from his manager Jimmy Gray.

“He has worked hard at the gym. I’m not going to tempt fate but the lad a lot of rungs on the ladder to climb, and if he’s fit and strong and he’s big, then he’s going to get noticed.”

“It’s good for him, unfortunate for St Albans City, but I can see him moving within the next year or so. If he gets it right, like he did tonight, and scores his goals and puts it about, well, he would have looked quite fine in their side.”

The match was in stark contrast to City’s dreadful game at Billericay on Saturday. Both sides played good football when moving forward but, similarly, both also looked less than prolific in front of goal.

Having appeared lethargic at the weekend City were much crisper against a Palace side that included internationals Barry Bannan (Scotland), Adlene Guedioura (Algeria) and Paddy McCarthy (RoI U21 & B).

The rest of the Eagles side featured players from the Palace Development squad.

City opened the scoring inside two minutes when Jack Green, whose elder brother Danny was captain of the side, swept the ball into the York Road net after Palace had failed to clear a Sam Corcoran corner and Ben Martin headed the ball back into the goalmouth.

A mix up between Martin, who looks certain to rejoin the Saints over the coming days, and Darren Locke presented former Barton Rovers striker Keshi Anderson with a clear path to goal but Tom Coulton, in the City goal, moved swiftly to block the shot.

City are keen to add 22-year-old Coulton to their squad with a view to allowing him to sign for another club in another league and be available for a St Albans call up should regular keeper Joe Welch be unavailable.

Bannan entertained the crowd with a wonderful piece of skill close to the goalline on 20 minutes that left Danny Green floundering, but good work by Coulton and Locke ensured that it did not lead to a goal.

Corcoran went close to matching Bannan’s wizardry with a breathtaking dipping chipped pass over the Eagles defence that was superbly brought down by Kieran Bishop, but the former AFC Hornchurch striker was unable to beat the advancing Palace keeper Chris Kettings.

The visitors had a good opportunity to draw level when Howard Hall was dispossessed by Jacob Berkeley but Locke again made a decisive intervention on the goalline as he headed clear Guedioura’s goal-bound effort.

City were denied a bizarre goal on 35 minutes when Kettings changed his mind about throwing the ball out at the last second and only succeeded in giving it to Calcutt.

The keeper then ran forward and nudged Calcutt to the ground just as Bishop clipped the loose ball into the net. Referee Gavin Muge came to Palace’s rescue by awarding City a free kick just before Bishop’s shot crossed the line.

Corcoran flashed the resulting free kick just beyond Kettings’ right hand upright.

The second half, although interesting, was less engaging with the two sides each getting through ten substitutions.

City, though, did get the ball into the net on 47 minutes for what would have been their fourth goal in six summer friendlies only for goalscorer Bishop to be deemed offside.

Ten minutes later Corcoran played the ball wide to Hall and from his near low post cross Bishop stretched to scoop a shot over the target.

In an act of generosity not dissimilar to Kettings earlier gaffe, City’s second half custodian Welch inexplicably threw the ball straight to Eagles striker Anderson who squared a pass for Barclay to tap home a simple equaliser on 61 minutes.

Welch wasted no time in making amends when pulling off a spectacular diving save to his left to keep out a firm drive by Spencer Forte and the City keeper used his legs well to block another effort late in the game as the sides settled on a merited draw.

In addition to more experienced players such as Welch, Kayode Bola and Greg Ngoyi, St Albans, after the break, took a look at several players to have featured in the Reserve and Development teams last season.

Speaking after the game Gray suggested that he would like to add Calcutt, who made one appearance for St Albans in January last year, to his squad but added that he intends to release some players this coming weekend.

Calcutt was with Stevenage and Wealdstone last season but is currently striving to regain full fitness after suffering a broken leg last November.

St Albans City are back in action on Saturday, 25th July, when they face Waltham Abbey in their seventh friendly of the summer. Kick off at Capershotts, Sewardstone Road, is at 3pm.

St Albans City: T.Coulton (J.Welch 46), H.Hall (G.Smaldone 66), D.Green, S.Corcoran (H.Bounyafe 78), D.Locke (K.Bola 70), B.Martin (D.Longe-King 70), S.Wales (R.Young 62), L.Allen (A.Yearwood 78), K.Bishop (J.Ndjeka 62), C.Calcutt (G.Ngoyi 46), J.Green (O.Swales 78).

Crystal Palace: C.Kettings, R.Collins, P.McCarthy, L.Croll, J.Williams, A.Guedioura, C.Dymond, B.Bannan, A.Bissaka, J.Berkeley, K.Anderson, subs used; C.Andrews, J.Loikio, W.Hoare, R.King-Elliot, M.George, O.O’Dwyer, S.Forte, R.Inniss, R.Allassani.

Referee: Gavin Muge (Dunstable).

Attendance: 335.