Albion’s PL2 team will be looking to stretch their unbeaten league run to three matches when they host Southampton under The Hawthorns lights on Friday night (ko 7pm).
Richard Beale’s team have shown improvement and resilience since the opening games of the season, but face another tough test when the Saints visit the Black Country.
Last time out
Our academy hopefuls came from behind last weekend to defeat high-flying Chelsea 2-1 in Kingston-upon-Thames.
After going a goal down during the first half, the Baggies rallied and turned things around thanks to Harry Whitwell’s double.
Four goals in two #PL2 matches for @HarryWhitwell08! 😮💨
Check out his match-winning brace against Chelsea. 👇🎥— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) September 24, 2024
Venue
The Under-21s will play their first game of the 2024/25 campaign at The Hawthorns on Friday evening.
Beale’s men were successful on their last outing in B71, beating Leeds United 4-2 at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Pre-match thoughts
The Professional Development Phase boss is eager to see his squad put in another hard-working performance and enjoy The Hawthorns occasion.
But equally, Beale is wary of the threat another stellar academy in Southampton pose to his team - insisting Albion’s youngsters will need to combine “fight and quality” in order to keep their positive run going.
He said: “The lads have really developed and grown as a team so far this season.
“It’s only early days and there’s so much more to come from every individual and the team, but it’s really pleasing that they’ve improved so quickly and they’ve got to keep that going.
“It was a really good performance last time against Chelsea, really pleasing, and fantastic for the boys and their confidence. But as I said, there’s so much more to come and every day we remind the lads of how much work they have to do still.
“They’ve got to keep doing that if they want to perform in front of crowds and first teams, which is the aim.
“All the players are young in the 21s squad but the even younger ones; Cole, Iddrisa, Ollie, we’ve identified that we need to stretch them and being around the squad is how we’re doing that.
“They’ve all stepped up and performed admirably, held their own, and that stands them in good stead for the future. But they have to keep that development going to ensure they keep standing out.
“Southampton are a really good team who invest a lot into their youth system and we’ve got to fight to compete on Friday.
“That’s what we’ll be preparing for but at the same time, there's no shortage of quality so the lads will have to turn up on the night, blend those two elements of fight and quality together, and if we do then we can have another good night, and what I mean by that is a good performance.
“Results come after that, but I’m looking forward to playing under the lights at The Hawthorns, which is always a fantastic occasion.”
How to follow
Match tickets will be available for Friday night’s Premier League 2 game versus Southampton.
They are priced at £5 adults, and £1 for Under-17s and 65+, while Albion season ticket holders are able to watch the game for free.
Supporters can purchase tickets on the gate on the Halfords Lane side of the stadium.
Alternatively, WBA TV+ subscribers will be able to watch a live stream of the game here from 6.20pm.
Supporters can keep up-to-date with Friday’s PL2 match across the club’s social media channels, with half-time, full-time, and goal updates as they go in.
