Richard Beale excited by next crop of West Brom youngsters
Richard Beale has spent much of the last couple of months leading Albion’s first team.
But the under-21s head coach’s real passion and ‘day job’ is developing the club’s youngsters, a role he also held – under slightly different titles – for a long period at Birmingham as well as Villa.
Monday’s heavy 5-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest at The Hawthorns featured a handful of first-team players, including Daryl Dike on his way back from injury, and was very much an exception to Albion’s under-21s this season. It was just a second defeat from nine in Division Two of Premier League 2.
There has been a development in the age-group squad that now, from this season, calls Hednesford Town’s Keys Park its home.
The relatively experienced graduates of Zac Ashworth, Ethan Ingram and Reyes Cleary, who have all enjoyed senior involvement this term, are still involved. Others who have been around a couple of years, skipper Jamie Andrews, Tom Fellows and Mo Faal, have been allowed out on development loans at Yeovil, Crawley and AFC Telford United in the National League, League Two and National League North, respectively.
There has been a new wave of emerging scholars on the teamsheet and Beale is excited about their progression.
Midfielder Harry Whitwell, 16, is an England junior international and has enjoyed a series of impressive displays. Also involved of late are left-back Evan Humphries, midfielders Kevin Mfuamba and Matt Richards and Akeel Higgins and Jesse Wangusi. Beale explained on the new crop: “Evan came on as a left-wing-back and is a really, really good one-v-one defender. He puts good deliveries into the box and he’s physical athlete. It was really good to give Evan his under-21 debut.
“Akeel has played a couple of times for us and he’s busy, sharp, bright, when attacking.
“We’re really pleased with how Akeel is progressing, he’s done really, really well for the under-18s, as has Evan.
“Jesse is a third-year scholar. He’s been really patient and when he’s come on he’s given us energy. We changed the two front players as they’d trained with the first team in the morning, so it’s good for them but it was to give them a breather.
“We’ve let Jamie Andrews go on loan to Yeovil, which is great, Jamie has done brilliantly in this team and it’s fantastic he has this opportunity now. Kevin and Matt played for the under-18s so they shared 45 minutes each and both did really well.”
Andrews, 20, has made two appearances out on loan at Yeovil and was awarded man-of-the-match in Tuesday’s goalless draw against Maidenhead.
Fellows, 19, has already clocked up 12 appearances for Crawley, who are fifth-bottom of League Two. Faal, 19, scored twice in five games for Hereford last season and has played three games for Telford.
Whitwell turns 17 next week and made his England under-18 debut in September. He has onlookers excited.
Beale added: “He’s going from strength to strength, Harry. He’s had a fantastic year.
“He’s already trained in the first team under the new manager, he has had several sessions with the first team this season.
“He’s got into the England set-up, he’s played games that he’s been available to us and in every single one he goes from strength to strength. He’s a real asset for the football club and he’s one to look out for in the future for the fans.”
