Albion Under-21s are aiming to reach the last four of the Premier League Cup when they head to AFC Bournemouth on Friday night (ko 7pm).
The young pros enjoyed a fruitful group-stage in late 2025, where they topped Group E containing Exeter City, Brentford and Luton Town, before progressing past holders Queens Park Rangers at the Alexander Stadium in the round of 16.
Friday’s hosts, the Cherries, who the Baggies have already played in an academy competition this season - when the two sides met in the FA Youth Cup - have already set their best-ever PL Cup run with progression to the competition’s last eight.
Last time out
The club's youngsters secured their quarter-final spot with a 1-0 win over reigning champions QPR back in February.
Remar McNeil's early finish was enough to ensure their passage through the last-16 tie in a solid display at the Alexander Stadium.
Venue
Vitality Stadium, home of the Cherries, is the destination for the U21s on Friday night.
Pre-match thoughts
Senior Professional Development Phase Coach Deon Burton has stepped up to spearhead the hopefuls’ final push as they reach the tail end of their campaign.
While Senior PDP Coach Leigh Downing assists James Morrison’s first-team efforts until the end of the season, Burton has been tasked with leading the PL2 group - a proposition he’s more than familiar with.
And the PL Cup musters up fond memories for the former Premier League striker, who helped the Baggies to their notable competition win back in 2022, where they beat Black Country rivals Wolves in the grandstand final at The Hawthorns.
Burton’s best advice to his young players would be to “show resilience” and have a “never-say-die attitude” in order to “recreate memories” from positive cup performances of years gone by.
He said: “It’s been a really enjoyable few weeks. I’ve led before so it’s nothing new to me now, with Leigh (Downing) heading up to the first team to help Mozza (James Morrison).
“We’ve had a few games in a very short period of time, so it’s always good to help with the players’ development. It’s been fast and furious, but very enjoyable for me and the players.
“Before the PL2 match at Norwich last week, the boys were in a good place and they’ve worked really hard all season. They’re getting their rewards as we approach the tail end of the season now.
“We’d been on a great run before Norwich. We went one-nil upon and I thought we still had a few chances that we didn’t really take, had lots of final-third entries and chances that we weren’t able to take.
“It happens sometimes like that, but as long as we’re creating then, eventually, those chances will go in again. Games like that keep the players grounded and helps them to refocus ahead of the games to come.
“That win in 2022 was a great experience, not just for the coaches, but for the players to be able to win the cup at the stadium against our local rivals. It was a great atmosphere and we’ll be reiterating that moment and the opportunity going into Friday’s game.
“That group were a team that had been together for a while, everyone knew their roles and responsibilities, and that translated in the performances for the big games.
“With this group of players, some of those have come from the U18s in recent games and they provide the main nucleus for the group. There’s a fair bit of similarity between those winners from a few years ago to the team now.
“To win competitions like this you need that ‘never-say-die’ attitude, there are highs and lows through every game, and we’ve experienced that. It’s all about having that resilience to keep going through every circumstance and I do think this group’s got that.
“I have no worries about the team being able to stay focused and give their all for a quarter-final. We just want to focus on ourselves and it’s down to what we can do, and what we know we’re capable of.
“At the end of the night, to be in the last-four of the Premier League Cup is a great incentive. It’s a chance to recreate what happened four years ago. It’s a very good opportunity to produce our best kind of performance.
“It’s a really important cup game on Friday against Bournemouth. It’s all about getting one step closer to that goal and recreating those memories from 2022.”
How to follow
Supporters can keep up-to-date with Friday’s PL Cup 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.
