The Baggies come away proud of performance at first St George's Park tournament
ALBION recently finished as runners-up at the Premier League Under-15 International Tournament at St George’s Park.
After topping a group containing Athletic Bilbao, Fulham and Manchester United, the Baggies overcame Everton in the semi-finals before narrowly losing 3-2 to Chelsea in the final.
The three-day event, held at The Football Association’s National Football Centre in Burton-Upon-Trent, pitted Albion against some of the finest youth academies in Europe.
And lead youth development phase coach Aaron Danks could not have been more proud of their performance at the tournament.
“It’s the first tournament to be played at St George’s Park and it was pretty special for our players to get to the final given the standard of opposition we were up against,” said Danks.
“The players had full use of the facilities and the final was played on the showpiece pitch, which is an exact replica of the Wembley playing surface.
“The experience gained by the players is invaluable in their progression and it is also a reflection of their progress as a team that they managed to beat so many excellent teams.
“It goes without saying that you don’t beat Manchester United, at any level, unless you are a decent team.
“I’m also very proud of the way the players conducted themselves throughout the event both on and off the pitch."
Results and scorers
Results and scorers
Semi-final: Everton W 2-1 (James Smith 2).
Final: Chelsea L 2-3 (James Smith 2).
PIC: UNDER 15s BATTLE IN FINAL... Jonathan Leko takes on a Chelsea player at St George's Park