Albion Under-21s have their sights set on a first PL Cup group-stage win when they travel to Luton Town on Tuesday night (ko 7pm).
Leigh Downing’s side sit third in Group E of the competition, but have one game in hand on second-placed Brentford, and two on Exeter City, who currently occupy top spot.
The young Baggies have lost just once in their last five matches in all competitions, and will be full of confidence when they head to Bedfordshire in midweek.
Last time out
Downing’s men claimed an important penalty shootout win over Coventry United in the Birmingham Senior Cup second round last week. A goalless draw meant the tie went down to spot-kicks, leaving Harry French, Alfie Maughan and Remar McNeil to successfully convert – handing Albion a spot in the third round.
Last time in PL Cup action, Downing’s men couldn’t break down a resolute Exeter City side as they began their Group E campaign at the Alexander Stadium in mid-October. Creative midfielder Tammer Bany was handed an important 45 minutes on his return from injury as they were held to a goalless draw in Perry Barr.
Venue
The club’s youngsters will travel to Kenilworth Road, home of Luton Town for their meeting with the young Hatters.
The 12,056-capacity stadium has been used since 1905 and saw Premier League football for the first time in 2023/24.
Pre-match thoughts
Versatile defender Noah DuPont has cited young Baggies boss Downing as a key component in his seamless transition from the Under-18s squad to the Under-21s.
The 18-year-old joined the club at the age of six, and after a handful of 21s appearances in 2024/25, he has worked hard to feature regularly across a wide range of competitions, one of those being the PL Cup.
DuPont’s success of recent months hasn’t just come in navy blue & white. The New Zealander was selected alongside Albion goalkeeper Joe Wallis to represent his nation at the FIFA U20 World Cup in September – where he appeared in their final Group A match against Japan in Santiago, Chile.
The defender says his experiences on the international stage can only fuel his desire for further development in Downing’s ranks.
DuPont said: “I’ve enjoyed the step-up from the Under-18s. Having taken this opportunity has really helped my game. It’s helped that Leigh [Downing] is the coach. Moving through the age groups with him has been great – he knows my game - I know how he coaches – it’s worked really well.
“I’m really looking forward to the game against Luton. We need to get back to winning ways having lost our last game to Everton.
“Over the last few weeks, we’ve had a good run of form. We slipped a bit last Friday against Everton but we’re hoping to get back to our best on Tuesday.
“We weren’t at our best and we struggled to show what we’re about as a team. We can easily rectify that on Tuesday.
“In cup competitions, we’re focused on our performances but we also want to get a result from the game to get through the group. We know we have the capabilities and the environment to work towards that.
“We’ve got a really good bunch of lads at the moment and there's a lot of competition which is really good. Everybody wants to be on their A-game all of the time, and there’s disappointment when they miss out.
“It was an unreal experience [to play at the U20 FIFA World Cup in Chile]. To be at a competition at that level was really cool, and we managed to win our second game.
“The environment we were in, with 60,000 people watching, it was an unreal experience to walkout in-front of that many people. I aspire to achieve that at The Hawthorns one day and that was just a taster of what I want in the future.
“It’s important to take the opportunities that you get. Football’s a game where you might get a glimpse of that – going for it is really important.
“Dara O’Shea and Caleb Taylor more recently as fellow defenders have done very well in making it to the first-team. They’re both great role models and examples to look up to. The club have always been great at developing defenders and if I can copy what they do, then I’ll improve my game and progress.”
How to follow
There will be live updates across our social media channels for Tuesday evening’s PL Cup clash with Luton.
The full report, reaction and highlights from the match will be available on the website across the coming days.
