Albion Under-21s play their first Premier League 2 match of 2025 against Liverpool on Saturday afternoon (ko 2pm).
The young Baggies have already experienced their first action of the new year - losing 2-1 to Racing Club Warwick in the Birmingham Senior Cup.
But Richard Beale’s team will be keen to avenge the previous defeat when they play their star-studded Merseyside counterparts this weekend.
Last time out
It was a fine end to 2024 in the PL2 last time around, with Albion’s academy hopefuls beating Reading 3-1 at The Hawthorns.
Alex Williams, Ollie Bostock and Matt Crowther were all on target to secure a winning finish to the year and wrap up an impressive display in B71.
Ollie Bostock finding the bottom corner! 🎯
The full 𝗪𝗕𝗔 𝗧𝗩 highlights from our #PL2 side's victory against Reading at The Hawthorns are now available to view. 🎥— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) December 17, 2024
Venue
The LFC Academy in Kirkby will host our U21s' next league fixture.
Pre-match thoughts
Reece Hall returned from injury at the back end of last year, and he’s intent on gaining consistency before the end of the season.
Every year is an opportunity to prove something and especially for the Albion defender, who finds himself in the last year of his contract in navy-blue-and-white, replicating his impactful performances on a regular basis is something Hall understands the importance of.
At 21, Reece has spent the last 13 years with the Baggies - achieving what all youngsters coming through the system dream of doing this term when he made his senior bow in the Carabao Cup against Fleetwood.
For that, Hall is thankful to former head coach Carlos Corberán for his chance, but now it’s about “reminding everyone what he can do” - with a tough match against Liverpool’s starlets the next opportunity to showcase his capabilities.
Hall said: “I’ve recently come back fit.
“I started off the campaign with my first pre-season with the senior team, had good exposure with them, and then got going with my debut in the Fleetwood game.
"The former gaffer put the trust in me to give me my debut and I’m obviously thankful to him for giving me that opportunity.
“Since then, I’ve had a few setbacks but I’m happy to be playing now and I'm looking to get back into my stride.
“I've been there for 13 years, so for me it’s about staying fit and maintaining the good form that I had last year to remind everyone what I can do.
“Liverpool are a top team and they are doing while in the league, so it would be a real confidence boost for us if we can go into it and get three points.”
How to follow
Owing to a first-team fixture being played on the same day, we will be unable to provide live coverage of Saturday’s match between the U21s and Liverpool.
The full report and reaction to the game will be available on the club website over the weekend.
