Albion Under-21s are in search of their fifth Premier League 2 win in-a-row when they travel to face Norwich City on Friday evening (ko 7pm).
The young charges have beaten Birmingham City, Ipswich Town, Derby County and Blackburn Rovers in thrilling victories that have helped elevate their league position - all while hitting form in front of goal.
Across those four games, the Baggies have netted 14 goals and those combined 12 points have taken them up to 24th in PL2 - just a place above Friday’s opponents, who have only won once in the division since October.
Last time out
Albion U21s continued their rampant form with a 4-0 victory over local rivals Blues at Solihull Moors’ Damson Park in their most recent league match.
Forward Torin Ntege scored the opener, before substitute Jack Bray’s 19-minute hat-trick put further gloss on another impressive showing.
Venue
Avant Training Centre, Norwich City’s base of operations, will host the young Baggies on Friday evening.
Pre-match thoughts
Forward Harry French’s electric form with Chay Thompson’s under-18 group has earned him regular recent cameos with the club’s PL2 team.
The 17-year-old has scored more than 20 goals across various youth competitions, but now has his attention fixed on finding a maiden breakthrough in front of goal for the club’s senior academy group.
French has appeared from the substitutes’ bench in the 21s' latest two home league matches, in addition to a 30-minute stint in the Birmingham Senior Cup quarter-final defeat to Redditch United on Monday night - where the young attacker had a late goal chalked off for a tight offside call.
With Friday’s PL2 match in East Anglia at the front of his mind, Harry says this year has been a “massive learning curve” for his development and believes a first goal among Albion's aspiring pros would be the best way to repay the “trust” of the coaching staff.
He said: "I was proud of how I played against Derby County a few weeks back, so I came into the Birmingham City game full of confidence.
"I was incredibly proud of how the team played because it’s a big rivalry, so it’s always nice to get the win and to play as well as we did is always good.
"The lads are buzzing with how we’ve been playing in PL2. When you win four games in-a-row, everyone’s really excited and we’re in such a good place. My role coming in is just to help the team get as many points between now and the end of the season.
"It’s a big step up from under-18s level and I feel the physical side of the game is more important than the technical side of the game at times.
"With my work rate and physicality, I feel I can be a threat at this level. When I run in-behind defences, I can cause problems, and I’m happy to keep running for the team, but that main difference is the physicality.
"It’s been a massive learning curve in terms of my development. We’ve had a lot of exposure this year and I’m grateful for the opportunity to play. I feel like I can express myself in the team and I just want to work hard and do my best.
"I’m still waiting to score my first goal for the 21s. I got close in the game against Redditch having had one ruled out for offside late on, and I felt I was a bit unlucky, but I’m grateful to have the opportunity and to have the trust of the coaching staff.
"I just want to go out against Norwich and score my first goal for the PL2 team.
"It’s been a great season for me personally. I’m really proud of the number of goals I’ve managed to score at U18s, along with minutes in the U21s too.
"We’ve played against some top academies with both age groups, so I’ve managed to get some good experience and we’ve got some big results along the way. I couldn’t have imagined my season going much better on a personal level.
"The target for me is just getting more minutes with the U21s, keep going and keep improving.
"It’s been a great achievement to keep adding to my tally, but the aim is to score for the PL2 team and to ensure I can help in any way I can."
How to follow
Supporters can keep up-to-date with Friday’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.
