Albion Under-21s are searching for their fourth Premier League 2 win in-a-row when they welcome a young Birmingham City side on Friday evening (ko 7pm).
Leigh Downing’s young pros are one of just three teams to have won their last three matches in the division, and have been in quite the goalscoring form - notching 13 goals across their recent four games.
The young Baggies can leapfrog visitors, the Blues, and potentially make their way as high as 20th place should they secure victory - with just a point separating them from Friday’s opponents.
Last time out
It was a well-deserved 3-0 PL2 win over Ipswich Town last time out, as Eseosa Sule, Souleyman Mandey and Jack Bray all found the net to dent the Tractor Boys’ high-flying form.
Venue
The U21s return to Damson Park, where they’ve won their last two games at the home of Solihull Moors.
Pre-match thoughts
After three months on the sidelines with a ruptured ankle ligament, midfielder Matt Crowther made his first steps back onto the pitch during Friday’s win at Ipswich.
Returning to a high-flying Albion side can’t have been easy for the Sunderland-born youngster, but certainly not as hard as he found watching his team-mates initially go through a bleak run of form - before eventually heightening their trajectory in early 2026 - without being on-hand to help.
As the PL2 side remain positive towards their cup and league progression (Birmingham Senior Cup and Premier League Cup, where they’re both in the quarter-finals), Crowther has labelled every game as a “cup final" between now and the end of the campaign.
Now fully fit and available, the Men’s 2024/25 Academy Player of the Season hopes to bolster Downing’s ranks as they reach the business end of the season, and the 18-year-old says Friday night’s clash should bring plenty of “fire” and “intensity" as the young Baggies look to continue their momentum.
He said: “It was very overwhelming to be back on the pitch. It’s been a long time coming, it was obviously tough in rehab, but to be back with the lads and to get three points massively helped the occasion.
“I ruptured a ligament in my ankle, it wasn’t easy and it was around Christmas time. I missed coming in and seeing the lads over the Christmas break, I had a lot of time at home, but as soon as I got back, knew what the target was - I just cracked on with the hard work.
“Just getting sharper and sharper by the day was important. I felt that on Friday and it’s a great feeling for it all to have paid off.
“The toughest part is watching the lads. It wasn’t easy not being able to be there and help. What they’ve done as we approach the run-in is really positive, and we’ve got to put ourselves to work and show what we’re made of.
“Last week I only played the last 30 due to managed minutes, even just watching the lads, we dominated very well, looked organised, very aggressive on our press and got the ball into our forward lines. We want to carry all of that into Friday’s game.
“It really helps having players that are clinical in front of goal, and people who can create those chances - that’s what we’re all about. Even hitting teams on the attack, we have pace and power going forward when we get in that final third, and we continue to show our quality but we need to keep raising that.
“Having three wins on the bounce in the league gives us momentum and we back ourselves from now until the end of the season - there’s nothing to lose, every game’s a cup final. We’ve also got cup games we want to win and momentum at this stage.
“I felt really sharp on Friday, I’m ready to get back into the fold of it and I want to keep working hard in training to be ready for the end of the season.
“We played Blues in pre-season and you could feel the energy around that was really high, despite it being a friendly. There’s always a bit more fire and intensity to the game, and it should bring the best out of us on the night.
“There’s no better time to be back playing again than now with all of these games we have coming up - starting with Birmingham on Friday.”
How to follow
Tickets are available for Friday’s night’s PL2 clash at Damson Park.
Those hoping to secure their ticket for the game can click here. Supporters can also buy tickets on the gate at Damson Park.
They are priced at £4 adults and £2 for Under-17s and 65+, while Albion season ticket holders are able to watch the game for free.
To gain their free access, season ticket holders will need to show an upcoming first-team match ticket on the gate at Damson Park.
Alternatively, WBA TV+ subscribers will be able to watch a live stream of the game here from 6.50pm.
Supporters can also 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.
