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West Bromwich Albion F.C. Reserves and Academy

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West Bromwich Albion F.C. Reserves and Academy
Nickname(s)The Baggies
GroundThe Hawthorns, Keys Park
OwnerShilen Patel
ManagerRichard Stevens
LeaguePremier League 2 Division 2

West Bromwich Albion Reserves and Academy are the youth teams of West Bromwich Albion. The reserve team is made up of under-23 players, and is effectively West Bromwich Albion's second-string side. The under-18 players among other younger age groups make up the academy team. They play in the Premier League 2 Division 2, the second tier of reserve team football in England.

Academy staff and hierarchy

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Position Name
Academy Manager England Richard Stevens
Head of Academy Coaching England Mick Halsall
U-23s Manager England Richard Beale
U-23s Coach Northern Ireland Chris Brunt
U-23s Coach Jamaica Deon Burton
U-18s Manager England Leigh Downing
Professional Phase Goalkeeping Development Coach Wales Boaz Myhill
Head of Academy Recruitment England Tom Brady

History

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In the 1882–83 season, Albion fielded a reserve side for the first time; the club's second team played 24 matches and went through the season undefeated.[1] Due to the club's financial situation, the reserves had their wages halved early in the 1885–86 season, and by January 1886 the payments made to reserve players were withdrawn altogether. This resulted in Albion's second team refusing to play against Small Heath Alliance and the game was cancelled. Some of the players were suspended as a result of their actions, but were later re-instated.[2] The Albion reserves first competed in The Central League in 1921 and won the competition seven times.[3]

Albion's Youth team first entered the FA Youth Cup in 1952–53. In their first game in the competition, they defeated Brush Sports by a 10–1 scoreline.[4] They reached the final in 1954–55 and 1968–69, losing to Manchester United and Sunderland respectively. Albion won the competition for the only time in their history in 1975–76, beating local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers 5–0 on aggregate in the two-legged final. Albion came close to reaching the final of the competition during the 2018–19 season after an impressive cup run for the first time in 43 years, only to lose to Manchester City 4–2 in the semi-final under youth coach Mike Scott. Albion would have another successful cup run in 2020-21 season only to lose to Aston Villa in the semi-final 4–1. Albion won the U23s Premier League Cup for the first time in their history under Richard Beale during the 2021-22 season beating local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in a penalty shootout 5–4.[5] Since April 2013, the club's academy has been based in the former Tom Silk Building in Halfords Lane, close to The Hawthorns.[6]

Academy squads

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Under-23 squad

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West Bromwich Albion F.C. Academy building
As of 26 Sep 2024[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
28 MF England ENG Fenton Heard
33 MF England ENG Cole Deeming
34 MF England ENG Harry Whitwell
36 DF Italy ITA Muhamed Diomande
37 FW Wales WAL Ollie Bostock
38 MF England ENG Kevin Mfuamba
39 DF England ENG Reece Hall
40 DF England ENG Deago Nelson
41 MF England ENG Matthew Richards
43 FW Scotland SCO Eseosa Sule
GK England ENG Ben Cisse
No. Pos. Nation Player
GK Wales WAL Ronnie Hollingshead
GK New Zealand NZL Joe Wallis
DF England ENG Evan Humphries
DF England ENG Jamal Mohammed
DF England ENG Michael Parker
DF England ENG Josh Shaw
DF Wales WAL Alex Williams
MF England ENG Archie Kirton
FW England ENG Akeel Higgins
FW England ENG Layton Love
FW England ENG Adriel Walker

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
29 FW England ENG Reyes Cleary (on loan at Walsall until end of season)

Under-18 squad

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As of 26 Sep 2024[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
35 MF Italy ITA Dauda Idrissa
GK Republic of Ireland IRL Louis Brady
GK England ENG Liam Wilkes
DF England ENG Abdul Abudu
DF New Zealand NZL Noah DuPont
DF England ENG Adam Letlat
DF England ENG Alfie Maughan
DF Wales WAL Rhys Morrish
DF England ENG Corey Sears
MF England ENG Sam Beedie
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF England ENG Charlie Blackshields
MF England ENG Fran Cherchi
MF England ENG Matthew Crowther
MF Austria AUT Souleyman Mandey
MF England ENG Rio Parmar
FW England ENG Dan Chimeziri
FW England ENG Donte German-Ranger
FW England ENG Adam Okorodudu
FW England ENG Divine Onyemachi

References

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  1. ^ Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879–1987. Breedon Books. p. 220. ISBN 0-907969-23-2.
  2. ^ Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879–1987. Breedon Books. p. 243. ISBN 0-907969-23-2.
  3. ^ Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879–1987. Breedon Books. pp. 221–223. ISBN 0-907969-23-2.
  4. ^ Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879–1987. Breedon Books. p. 228. ISBN 0-907969-23-2.
  5. ^ Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879–1987. Breedon Books. p. 229. ISBN 0-907969-23-2.
  6. ^ "West Brom move into their new £1.3m base". Express & Star. 24 April 2013. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  7. ^ "West Bromwich Albion Premier League 2 Player Profiles". West Bromwich Albion. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  8. ^ "West Bromwich Albion U18 Team". West Bromwich Albion. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
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