Last season, Keshi Anderson was plying his trade in the seventh tier of English football at Barton Rovers.
He had been released from a Premier League academy at a young age, and, like so many who go through the system, found himself in non-league football.
For many, that is the end of the line. The dream they are sold as children to play in front of thousands of adoring supporters at the biggest stadia in the country goes up in a puff of smoke. One injury, one wrong move and that is the brutal end of so many young hopes. But not for Anderson.
Fast forward to the end of February of this year and not only had he jumped up six leagues, but he had travelled to the King Power Stadium as part of Crystal Palace’s first-team squad for their Premier League clash with Leicester City.
It was a perfect hat-trick that had caught Palace’s eye, with the striker on trial at Brentford, he netted three times against the Eagles’ U21 side, and Gary Issott quickly convinced Anderson that his future was best served in SE25, with Palace needing a development striker.
Since putting pen to paper on deadline day, Anderson has been a regular feature in the development squad, and it is no coincidence that an upturn in their results followed.
Two hat-tricks in the opening months of the new season have seen the 20-year-old continue his impressive form, picking up where he left off last campaign. He has proved to be the lynchpin of Palace’s attacking threat in the U21 side, where he was helped by the fine performances of Sullay KaiKai in particular.
That form has seen him depart the Eagles’ nest and head up North for a 28-day loan spell with Doncaster Rovers.
League One will be a test for the striker who has only trained full time for six months but it is not one he will shirk. For effort and determination are arguably his most valuable attributes behind his natural goal scoring ability.
Anderson will endear himself to any team’s supporters for his impressive attitude and his penchant for hard graft, something which can be said to be lacking of some young players in the modern game. It is a somewhat underrated quality of his.
Whilst his goal scoring efforts have not gone unnoticed, there are areas of his game which remind supporters how meteoric his rise has been.
His work outside of the final third of the pitch is where his weaknesses lie, while his small size can be somewhat of a hindrance, but they are areas he is working on, and there has been a noticeable improvement.
Palace academy boss Gary Issott recently tasked Anderson with emulating the style of Paul Dickov and former Eagles striker Andy Johnson, by turning his size into an advantage and being cunning to win free kicks and hold the ball up.
If Anderson can master those skills, if he can hone them, then there is every chance that he could have a prosperous career in the upper echelons of English football.
Dwight Gayle and DJ Campbell to some extent have done it before him, and his former boss Dan Kennoy noted the similarities between his former protégée and those players. It is clear to see how alike they are having come through a similar route.
Playing regularly is precisely what this young striker needs at this point in his career. There is work to be done, but the ground work and the foundations have been set, ready for him to use this move as a springboard should he indeed be given the opportunity by Rob Jones.
However, in amongst the optimism, a cautious note must be sounded. Many players have been here before, and fallen by the wayside.
Anderson must guard against complacency but with Mark Bright casting a keen eye over the progress of Palace’s youngsters out on loan, it is likely he will prosper.
Even if he fails to set foot on the pitch, this loan move should be a positive experience for the former Barton Rovers youngster. If it does not go to plan, it will be a test of his character as to how he bounces back.
Should it go well, it could well be the catalyst to propel him to the next stage of his career.
