Skip to content
Looking back on the under-18s’ season
Thirty-four games, 55 goals, 3,100 minutes of football played, 158 training sessions, 19 different goalscorers and 34 different players used from U15s upwards – it’s been an all-encompassing season for our U18 squad.
Starting out on 1 July to finishing on 15 May, the hard work and effort from the boys has been excellent and was typified in two games: a 2-1 win on the second day of the season against Norwich City, in which we finished with nine men but showed real determination and teamwork to stay in the game, and coming from two goals down to beat FA Youth Cup winners West Ham United 4-3 towards the end of the season – again showing a real never-say-die attitude.
Those games showed the hard work and discipline we always ask of the players, but there have been other highlights to the season. A 2-0 win against Fulham on the opening day set the tone, and then, post-Christmas, we had a really good run of games, beating Arsenal, Norwich, Chelsea, Fulham and West Ham, showing the club’s identity in every game. We’ve also seen some really positive individual stories, with our scholars representing their countries and/or transitioning into our U21 and senior squads. Seven of our scholars have also scored at least one goal for the U21s this season, illustrating how deserving they are to be there.
Albion were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup by Manchester City.
We finished in the top six of the Premier League South table, a really good achievement which highlights how much progress we’ve made with a really young team. At U18 level, it’s common for players to step up to the U21s, so to finish the season in the top half with five U16s and even some U15s is a real achievement and illustrates the talent we have within our academy. I’ve been really impressed with the youngsters’ quality and credit goes to the coaches, Ben Smith, Steve Menzies, Chris Agutter, Cam Morrison, Dan Wright and all the multidisciplinary team staff, for the work they’ve done at the Youth Development Phase.
At U18 level, there is always the prestige of playing in The FA Youth Cup and having beat Dover Athletic at home, our journey came to an end at Manchester City in January. While we lost 4-1, against a team that would go on and win the Premier League U18 Northern Division, it was a positive experience for the boys as we were able to drive forward. The game filled us with hunger and belief, and we used it as motivation during the second half of the season. The boys knuckled down and showed the day-to-day habits we expect from them all.
Off the pitch, we are also blessed with a very good team who support the players as soon as they come into the building at 8am until they leave at 5pm. We have a specialist education programme, led by Nathan Marshall, Chelcie Galway and Sami El-Abd; strength & conditioning coaches in Tom Ball and Calum Brashill; recovery from injuries and injury preventative work overseen by Ruwindi Setunge; while Shona Richards and Zach Hickmore support with player care and psychological support of our young players. Our tactical analysis, provided by Jake Phillips, is second to none and, hopefully, my contributions on the training pitch, alongside Mikey Harris (who has rejoined the club following spells with the England national team and Southampton), Owen Fisher and James Grainger, are showing in our performances.
Albion academy manager Ian Buckman.
Ian Buckman, our academy manager, has encouraged us as a team to take a holistic approach when supporting players, and with this we hope to help the boys not only fulfil their potential on the pitch, but develop them as young individuals off it.
With the U18s staff sitting alongside our U21s coaches, Shannon Ruth and Gary Dicker, there is a consistent line of communication, so it’s no coincidence our scholars have a clear pathway to make their way into the U21s and then into Roberto’s team with the continued support of Andrew Crofts.
Of course, not everyone is able to make their way through the academy into the first team, but for those players who are leaving us this summer, the door is always open. Our players go on to explore US colleges, other professional clubs, and many go on to pursue alternative careers using the many transferable skills they develop within the academy. Whatever journey our players eventually take, we want them to look back on their time with us as a positive experience, in what we hope has been a special period in their early lives.
This is a very exciting time in the club’s history, and personally I feel privileged to be a coach at such a key age group and to be able to support the players on their journeys. I feel very blessed to work with these boys and in this special environment, day in, day out.
