The kids are alright!

Coach Gary Dicker takes a look back at the under-18s’ 2021/22 season, which included a giant-killing against Manchester City in an excellent FA Youth Cup run.

Luke Nicoli

2022-06-05T05:30:00Z

Gary Dicker can reflect on a season of real progress for the under-18s.

In a nutshell, how has the season gone for the squad?

It’s been a season of real progress. If you look from a results perspective, we equalled the furthest the club has ever got in The FA Youth Cup [quarter-finals], which was a great experience for the group, while another really pleasing aspect was seeing the number of boys who have transitioned through the age groups.

We’ve had many players who have stepped up to train and play regularly for the under-23s, while nearly every under-16 player made their debut for the under-18s this year. We’ve even had an under-14s step up to our group this year, which is unheard of. As an under-18 squad, we have also had opportunities to train with the first team, and the fact that we’re getting so many boys making that step up reflects so well on the work done by the entire academy.

It must be pleasing to see a player like Evan Ferguson going straight into the first-team set-up…

Evan is still technically an under-18 player, so to make his Premier League debut this season and remain part of the first-team squad is unbelievable. We’ve also had Andy Moran, Samy Chouchane and Ben Jackson moving up to the under-23s – with Andy also making his first-team debut – so when young players sign for the club, they can see that there’s a clear pathway here.

Evan Ferguson is available for the trip to Fulham.

In that respect, how important is it to have a joined-up football philosophy?

It makes for a smoother transition, for every player stepping up, whatever the age group. The brand of football the first team plays is exceptional and we all try to follow suit. It’s slightly different with the younger teams, who play in small-sided games on smaller pitches, but certainly from the under-16s upwards, to have that same philosophy as the first team can only benefit the players as they move up to the next level.

The FA Youth Cup run included a shock 1-0 defeat of Manchester City. How good was that performance?

City were one of the pre-tournament favourites and won the Premier League U18 North division this season, so it was a really good achievement from the boys. We knew what we were going to be up against, and that we would have to ride out the storm at times, but we applied ourselves very well on the day. To win and to keep a clean sheet was really pleasing for the boys.

How did the rest of the competition go for the side?

We had a couple of good away days at Plymouth [2-1] and Charlton [2-0], playing in their stadiums, which were great experiences. Just to walk out in that environment, under the lights and in front of crowds, can only stand the boys in good stead moving forward. We also got to play at Molineux on a Saturday afternoon in the quarter-final, but sadly that’s where the run came to an end [1-3]. Although we played well on the day, some individual errors cost us, but the journey the boys went on and the experiences gained were so important for their development.

Albion celebrate Zac Emmerson's winner against Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup.

You came into the under-18s set-up midway through the season, having retired as an over-aged under-23s player. How have you found the transition?

I’ve loved it. Obviously it’s never an easy decision to decide to hang up your boots as a player, but moving into coaching was the next logical career step for me – and to do it at a club that means so much to me, and with these facilities at our disposal, is a real privilege. I love being out on the grass with the lads, helping them with their development and also furthering my own development as a coach. I get a real buzz when we work on certain things during the week and then they come off in the game on a Saturday. We have a great group of lads and I’m also looking forward to the next intake stepping up next season.

You’re not a one-man band though. It’s important to have a good backroom staff as well, right?

That’s right, and I would like to place on record my thanks to all the multi-disciplinary team who work extremely hard to enable the players get what they need on a day-to-day basis: Owen Fisher (goalkeeper coach), Rhianna Farr (analyst), Calum Brashill (strength and conditioning coach), Adam Bracey (psychology), Ruwindi Setunge (physio) and Colin Brand (player care). Then there’s Crofty and Shannon Ruth with the under-23s, who I have a good working relationship with, Ian Buckman too, so it really is a team effort and their input is so important.