Albion Under-18s will travel to Sunderland for their FA Youth Cup fourth-round tie on Thursday night (ko 7pm).
The Baggies can reach the last 16 with victory against their North-East counterparts, and they already have the gist of their potential opponents – having been drawn at home against either Queens Park Rangers or Brighton (who play on Tuesday evening) - should they progress.
Last time out
Chay Thompson’s young charges earned the right to play Sunderland with a thrilling 4-3 win over AFC Bournemouth in round three.
Ryan Colesby, Adam Okorodudu, Harry French and Adam Letlat were all on target at The Hawthorns, in what was a pulsating opening tie.
Venue
Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground, home of the young Black Cats, and Sunderland Women, will play host to Thursday’s FA Youth Cup tie.
The stadium, based in Hetton-le-Hole, holds 2500 fans and has been the home of Sunderland’s youth sides since 2007.
Opponents
Opponents Sunderland progressed to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Strikes from Finn Geragusian, Marcus Neill and Charlie Dinsdale booked their spot in the next round, sealing a convincing victory on home turf.
Fin Lynch’s side sit sixth in the northern segment of the Premier League U18 division, having collected 19 points from 12 matches played so far – including wins over Manchester United and Liverpool.
The Black Cats have already gone one stage further than their efforts in the competition last year, where they were defeated by Derby County in the third round.
Pre-match thoughts
The Baggies have been hard at work with their preparations for Thursday’s Youth Cup tie, and confidence is high in the camp after going two league matches unbeaten against Crystal Palace and Brighton.
Under-18s boss Chay Thompson, goalkeeper Maxwell Moses and forward Harry French have all been speaking ahead of their trip to Sunderland.
Chay Thompson (Lead U18 Coach)
Lead Under-18 Professional Development Phase Coach Thompson is in the midst of his maiden FA Youth Cup campaign in the role, having assisted now-U21s boss Leigh Downing for the last three years.
Though this is his first season at the helm, Thompson knows all about the competition - having also taken charge of former club Coventry City previously – and he says his squad are “looking forward” to the challenge in the North East.
He said: “The players are really looking forward to this one. We’ve had a really positive start to the year and the lads are excited for the game.
“It’s another great opportunity but it’s a really tough game. We’ve watched them in really good detail, ultimately, it’s down to us on the night and whether we can show the foundations we’ve set this season.
“The experiences and memories we had last year in the competition, the players still talk about it now and a lot of them played in it last year as well. We’re looking forward to the challenge of Sunderland.
“Our job is to produce players to get into the U21s and then the first team. We’ve seen lots of players getting loan moves and getting in and around the first team.
“We want to win FA Youth Cup games and games in the league. We’ve been a lot more competitive this season than in previous years, but they’re all important in our players’ journeys.
“I was at Coventry previously and we had some tough times in this competition. You can only grow from them and get through those tough moments, we want to go one step further this season, and with the players we’ve got, they’re capable of doing that if they perform on the night.”
Maxwell Moses (Goalkeeper)
Goalkeeper Moses produced a sublime display to keep Albion ahead in the previous round against AFC Bournemouth, even when the tide seemed to have turned in the visitors’ favour.
His promising performance meant he’s recently seen playing time with Downing’s U21s group, and the shot-stopper believes riding out “tough moments” can be the key to success in this competition.
He said: “I’m feeling very confident. It’s a long travel to go to Sunderland, but as a team this season, we’ve had big accomplishments in the league and the Premier League Cup.
“For me, I’ve played almost every minute for the U18s and managed to get some minutes in the U21s too. Going into the game I’m feeling very confident.
“It’s brilliant for exposure as well. Playing in the stadiums at this age builds you up ready for that and fans being there.
“The pressure on it is much more, and that’s what we need as young footballers.
“The last round was a rollercoaster, we went 4-0 up and we thought the game was done. Just into the second half, we thought, there’s no way they’d come back now – but we sat off a bit and managed to hold onto it – it was a great win.
“We’re hoping the next round is a little bit more plain sailing. It’s all about sticking together, there are going to be tough moments where we might concede, but we need to stay together and be a team together.
“We can go far in this competition, we’ve played big teams and got big results recently. Who’s to say we can’t do this in the FA Youth Cup?”.
Harry French (Attacker)
In-form hopeful Harry French has familiarised himself with his finishing throughout 2025/26.
The attacker, a first-year scholar, who previously built up a wealth of academy experience in his home of Devonshire, initially as a goalkeeper - has bagged goals and assists aplenty as the Baggies look to improve their league position.
Now he’s swapped the goalkeeping gloves for goalscoring boots, French is hoping to translate his form to the Youth Cup, having netted in the last round against the Cherries.
He said: “It’s a really exciting game, we won 4-3 in the last round against Bournemouth, so it’s a great feeling playing in front of loads of fans. We all look forward to it as players and it's what we always dream about.
“The lads are all excited for the game. We’ll go out there and put in a good fight.
“I started off at Plymouth Argyle at U11s as a goalkeeper, but then I came out of goal and wanted to be a striker. I just loved scoring goals and I got scouted by the Albion before getting offered my scholarship.
“I’ve been scoring and for that reason, I’m loving my football here. I’ve scored plenty this season, I’m on 22 for the year and have plenty of assists too.
“I’m very confident and I know we can take that into this competition. I know I’ll be up for the game, and we all will be.”
How to follow
Supporters will be able to keep up-to-date with Thursday’s Youth Cup match across the club’s social media channels, with updates on key events as they happen.
The match report, highlights and reaction will be available on the club website after the game.
