PL2 skipper Reece Hall says he’s looking forward to the “buzz” of the Premier League Cup ahead of Albion’s next group match against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (ko 1pm).
Richard Beale’s team travel to Lancashire this weekend targeting consecutive wins in the competition following their 2-1 win over Sheffield United last time around.
The U21s’ most recent result provided plenty of positives despite falling short in their 2-1 league defeat to Norwich City - where defender Hall provided an impressive assist for his team’s goal.
Reece is enjoying a new responsibility leading the team and after experiencing the thrill of Albion’s PL Cup win two seasons ago, he hopes the current group can take a step closer towards reaching those levels again when they face Rovers at the Lancashire County FA Ground.
Hall said: “It was really good to get that assist last time out.
“I’ve been getting in those areas a lot this year so it was nice to top off the last game with a contribution. On reflection, we were disappointed with the result but as a team we showed lots of the good work we’ve been working on in training.
“We controlled the game but needed to take more of our chances, and that’s something we’ll be working on heading into Saturday.
“I was the 18s captain before and I stepped up while Caleb and Jamie were captain in the 21s, learned a lot from them and now the time has come for me to step up, lead the team and set an example.
“I had little bits with the first team last season and it’s been good having those sessions with them again this year. That’s a different level completely (training with them) given the quality they have, the speed they play at.
“So taking that back and using the experiences I’ve gained from being with them in the 21s has helped me showcase what I’ve learned.
“The success we had a couple of years ago was great for me and the team. I get a real buzz every time we go into the competition because what we achieved was great.
“On a personal note, it was really good to be involved in that winning group at such a young age. The final was great; we had the fans coming onto the pitch at the end, it was a great day, and I think the PL Cup’s a really good competition.
“We’re going to look to push on again in it this year and hopefully, push towards the levels we showed a couple of seasons ago. It’s a different type of pressure for us in this tournament and we’ll be looking to use that pressure to push on as a group.”
