Men’s under-21 head coach Shannon Ruth has insisted that he will take Tuesday’s Sussex Transport Senior Cup tie away to Hassocks very seriously and pick as strong a side as possible for the match at the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground.
The Isthmian Southeast club, who drew 1-1 at home to Sheppey United on Saturday, compete in the eighth tier of English football, but Albion will not treat them lightly as they aim to win the trophy for the first time since 2022.
“Generally I don't feel it's a very straightforward draw, funnily enough,” he said. “I think a lot of the team that played against Middlesbrough will play, for sure. Because what we know about the Sussex Senior Cup is that we haven't got to the final for a little while.
“So it shows, one, the quality of players at every level of the game and two, it's not a straightforward fixture or competition. It's one that we have to take very, very seriously and feel as a team that we believe we can win the game.”
For many of the players, the trip to Hassocks will be an instructive contrast between playing at the Amex, as they did on Saturday, and facing the rather different challenges of international football next weekend.
Freddie Simmonds will be joining up with England under-18s along with Harry Howell, while right back Charlie Tasker has received his first international call-up and will join Tommy Watson at St George’s Park, where England under-20 will face Switzerland.
Tasker, 19, made his first-team debut this season in the Carabao Cup tie away to Oxford United after impressing in the under-21s.
“I think it rewards his hard work,” Ruth said. “He's someone who's been here since he was eight, so he represents our academy really well and our values and we believe that he's really deserved that.
“He has been involved around the first team, he’s obviously a frequent member of our squad, and we're hopeful this is an exciting season for him.”