Albion Under-18s open their 2025/26 FA Youth Cup campaign when they host AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday night (ko 7pm).
Boss Chay Thompson’s side play their first match in this season’s tournament against the Cherries, with hopes of bettering last year’s run in the competition where they reached the quarter-final stages.
Venue
The Baggies’ young charges will play at The Hawthorns on Wednesday evening where, for most of the squad, it’ll be their first experience of the club's first-team stadium.
Opponents
Visitors AFC Bournemouth are also set for their first involvement in the FA Youth Cup this season.
The two sides last met in the competition in 2023/24, where it was the Cherries who came out on top as Ashley Clarke scored a brace at The Hawthorns to help the visitors progress.
Under the stewardship of U18s Lead Coach James Lowy, who will also take charge of Wednesday’s tie, Bournemouth had a run to the fourth round last season.
During their cup campaign, they were beaten 3-1 by Norwich City after triumphing 3-2 against their East Anglian neighbours Ipswich Town in the third round.
Pre-match thoughts
Lead U18 Coach Thompson has already matched the number of wins obtained by the club's scholars last term in his maiden campaign at the helm this time around, and he hopes this form will stand the group in good stead for Wednesday's hotly-anticipated tie.
The youth-team coach was put in charge of the hopefuls during the summer - stepping up from his previous role as assistant to Leigh Downing following his switch to Albion's U21 group this season.
Having seen what it takes to reach the last eight of the competition last term, Thompson insists the aim must be to "go one better", but stresses the young Baggies must "suffer and stick together" if they are to overcome the Cherries under the Hawthorns lights.
He said: "It’s one in the calendar the players always look forward to and it will always be a special night for us as a group.
"It’s one in the calendar the players always look forward to and it will always be a special night for youngsters at this club.
“This is my ninth season at under-18s and I’ve had some highs and lows in the Youth Cup.
“But this competition sees young players step up on the big occasions under the lights, at first-team stadiums, but we’re trying to keep things as normal as we can for the boys ahead of the game.
“The preparation’s been exactly what it would be for a normal league match, but it’s down to the lads on the night to perform and show how good they are.
“The 18s have progressed a lot this season and we’ve been proud of their attitudes and the way they come in every day.
“Now, though, it’s about creating memories in the Youth Cup which these lads can talk about for years to come.
“We got to the quarter-finals last year, had some great nights along the way, and some of the games were like a roller-coaster - really up and down, but that gives this group a greater platform to build from this time around, hopefully.
“We’ve already matched the number of wins that we achieved in the league last season but, ultimately, our job is to push lads onto the U21s and first team.
“They all aspire to be at The Hawthorns some day and to walk out as a player there and, for me, to lead a team out at Albion’s first-team stadium is what everyone dreams of doing in their careers.
“Hopefully, it isn’t just one night - we want it to be two, three or four nights and to go one better than what we achieved last year has to be the aim.
“We’ve watched Bournemouth in detail and they will no doubt cause us problems on the night, but we’ll suffer together, stick together, and we’re really excited for the challenge.
“We’ve got some fantastic footballers coming through at this football club and, hopefully, we can show that on the night.”
Ticket details
Match tickets will be available for Wednesday night's tie agains the Cherries.
They are priced at £4 adults, and £2 for concessions, and supporters can purchase them on the gate on the Halfords Lane side of the stadium.
Please note, as is the case with all youth cup competitions, free entry for season ticket holders is not available for this fixture.
How to follow
Alternatively, supporters will be able to watch a live stream of the game here from 6.50pm
Supporters can also keep up-to-date with Thursday's Youth Cup match across the club’s social media channels, with half-time, full-time, and goal updates as they go in.
