Albion Under-21s head to Sutton United on Tuesday evening (ko 7pm) for their penultimate National League Cup group-stage clash.
The club’s academy starlets have already claimed two sizeable scalps over senior opposition, beating Woking and Boston United, the former by a penalty shootout - en route to collecting their current total of five points.
Those results so far leave them third in Group D, two points ahead of Tuesday’s opponents, who rank 11th in the Enterprise National League.
National League Cup | Group D Table
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1 | Truro | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Birmingham City U21s | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Albion U21s | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Woking | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Sutton United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Leicester City U21s | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -3 | 1 |
| 7 | Boston United | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 8 | Southampton U21s | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 0 |
Last time out
It was a dominant showing from Leigh Downing’s outfit at The Jakemans Community Stadium as the visitors beat Boston United 1-0.
Though their goal, which deflected in via the back of home midfielder Ben Hammond, wasn’t the prettiest, the Baggies were worthy winners in Lincolnshire.
Venue
Albion’s young charges head to Gander Green Lane, officially known as the 360 Engage Stadium, on Tuesday night.
The 7,000-capacity ground is situated in south London.
Pre-match thoughts
Noah DuPont has been at the heart of a young Baggies defence throughout this National League Cup campaign, one which hasn’t conceded a goal yet in the competition.
Better still, the young centre-half has taken on the captain’s armband in multiple matches across the 2026/27 campaign so far as he looks to become a leadership figure amongst his academy team-mates.
The 18-year-old signed his first professional contract in 2025 and enjoyed a season of solid grounding with the club’s U21 outfit.
And with another battle with a senior team to come, the New Zealand youth international hopes to help his side’s efforts in getting to the National League Cup knockout round.
He said: “From the start of the season, we’ve had a really good culture around the group. It started in pre-season when we went away and has followed into the games at the beginning of the campaign too.
“The defence has been good - we’ve kept three clean sheets already, so in my mind I’m determined to keep that going - especially in the National League Cup. Moving into Tuesday’s game, we know we haven’t conceded a goal in the competition yet and that gives us confidence.
“When you do that, it gives the attackers confidence too. Compared to other seasons previously, we’ve got two positive results and it gives us a really good start to the group stages, and we want to get out of the group.
“As a defender, it’s about repeating clean sheets, blocking the goal and making the right decisions - that’s your main job. We’ve competed really well against the senior teams, not just on the ball, but physically too. We’ve met the demands of the men’s game really well.
“I’ve had a lot of experience across the last couple of years, and I think it’s stood me in good stead to take those experiences on and try to build on them. I’ve started the season steadily, and I want to get football in the men’s game as soon as possible - whatever I can do to build that will be important.
“I want to be a leader at the back this year, and to help us continue getting good results now. The first few games, we’ve played really well and it shows we can compete against men’s teams, and it’ll help everyone with their future careers.”
How to follow
Tuesday’s National League Cup group match between the Baggies and the U's will be streamed live from the Jakemans Community Stadium.
Supporters with a My Albion account can watch along, with the feed available from 15 minutes before kick-off (6.45pm) here.
There will be no social media updates for Tuesday’s game, owing to the senior team’s Sky Bet Championship trip to Wrexham, but any Albion supporters wishing to make the trip can purchase their tickets here.
A match report and highlights will be available after the fixture.
Cover Image | Credit: Addison Everiss
