JAMIE Smith has challenged his under-23s to put in an improved performance when they take on Middlesbrough in a Premier League 2 Division Two clash on Sunday.
Albion’s youngsters were defeated at Brighton in their last outing, and Smith wants them to make amends when they head to the North East.
“The game at Brighton was very disappointing,” he said.
“We need to bounce back, and in fairness to the players they have done that in training this week.
“I’ll give them credit because I’ve got into them a little bit and they’ve performed on the training ground.
“But it’s now about them going out and performing during the match.
“It will be a very tough game, I’ve been watching lots of clips of Middlesbrough and they are a good, solid unit.
“They’re compact and quite direct in their play, similar to Brighton in the way they set up, so it will be a tough game for us.”