Albion Under-21s are vying to extend their Premier League 2 season when they travel to Arsenal on Saturday afternoon (ko 2pm).
The Baggies can finish as high as 22nd in the division, should they win on the final day, meaning they would qualify for the cross-category play-off competition (places 17-24th) between PL2 and Category Two teams in the Professional Development League.
Hosts, the Gunners, who are currently placed 14th, will be aiming to cement their position in the top 16 - which again brings its own set of season-ending matches featuring those higher-perched sides.
Last time out
Albion had their five-game winning run ended by Norwich City in their last PL2 match.
Charlie Blackshields’ opener wasn’t enough to cement a further three points, as four strikes from the Canaries condemned the visitors to a 4-1 defeat.
Venue
The Mangata Developments Stadium Meadow Park, home of Boreham Wood and Arsenal U21s, will host Friday’s PL2 clash.
It’s the second time the young Baggies have travelled to the Hertfordshire-based stadium, having lost 3-1 to a senior Boreham Wood side in the National League Cup in September.
Pre-match thoughts
Midfielder Blackshields has enjoyed his playing time across the various competitions which the Baggies’ U21 squad have competed in this season.
The 17-year-old played 90 minutes of a thrilling 5-4 Premier League Cup quarter-final victory over AFC Bournemouth on the south coast, which he says was a mark of how far the young pros have come as a group.
Fourteen scholars played in the match, as the Albion academy look to transition some of those U18 players into the 21s, handing out more experience against older opposition to bolster their development, including Blackshields himself.
The “chemistry” between those younger prospects is already there, but as the budding Baggies look to extend their season with the mid-table PL2 play-off competition and maintain promising progress in the PL Cup, the central midfielder hopes to show what they’re “capable of as a young side.”
He said: “It was a great result for the lads and we’re really happy. In the back half of the season, we’ve really picked up as a squad and started to win some games.
“We bounced back from the PL2 defeat to Norwich very quickly by beating Bournemouth in the PL Cup. We struggled and had a really poor game against Norwich, but to bounce back this week, I’m immensely proud of the lads.
“It’s been an incredibly young squad out there over the last few weeks, so it’s very impressive that we can come through these challenges with this team. These experiences are massive and we’ve got to take everything from the Bournemouth game and keep pushing into Arsenal.
“These important cup games are always very up and down. There are lots of big moments, and we followed the game plan really well to finish strong in the match.
“Scoring goals needs to be a bigger part of my game. The coaches have been telling me to do it more often and I’ve enjoyed getting some goals and adding those into my game.
“We were disappointed with the result in Norwich which was the most important thing, but scoring that goal was nice.
“The goal is to keep our season going by winning this final PL2 game. We didn’t start the season very well, so we’ve had to pick up wins quickly to ensure we have a chance of making these extra play-off games.
“We’ve grown so much across the season, and it’s all about continuing to develop as a young squad.
“This end to the season has given us a lot of confidence going into next year. Having such a young squad and so many new players being brought into the group can take time, but going into next year we want to push on as a unit and keep working hard.
“We saw against Bournemouth what we can be capable of when we work together. The chemistry is natural in that respect because we’ve played so many games as a team at U18s level, there’s not much experience in the team - but we can get through tough times together.
“As a midfielder, you’ve just got to get hold of the lads and try to keep control of the game. It’s all about stepping up and showing everyone what we can do.
“We’ve proved in these final few PL2 matches that we can do anything as a team. The challenge is now to go to Arsenal and put pressure on them.”
How to follow
Supporters can keep up-to-date with Saturday’s PL2 match across the club’s social media channels, with half-time, full-time, and goal updates as they go in.
Reaction, the match report and highlights will be available on the club website in the days after the game.
