How It Stands: Under-18s

It’s March and the international break is upon us, which means the season’s conclusion isn’t too far away - so here’s a recap of the campaign so far, and what lies ahead for Brighton & Hove Albion’s under-18s.

The Seagulls began the season with Ian Buckman at the helm, but after changing role midway through the campaign, Buckman made way for Mark Beard and Mikey Harris to take over Albion’s under-18s

With just four league matches remaining, a realistic target for Albion is a top-half finish, as they currently find themselves in ninth position, with 18 points from as many games.

There was an encouraging start to the season, as Albion strung together a hat-trick of victories to open their league account, before extending their unbeaten record with a draw against Leicester City and a win over Newcastle United in the Premier League Cup.

But Albion’s confident start eased in the months prior to December, as they went seven matches without recording a win - despite clinching an eye-catching 2-2 draw against Arsenal and narrowly losing 1-0 at runaway leaders Chelsea.

Albion returned to winning ways against Blackburn Rovers on the south coast, with Aaron Connolly dropping down from the under-23s to score a hat-trick and help secure maximum points in a 4-2 victory.

But a disappointing 5-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the FA Youth Cup followed, before another sequence of winless games, that came to a halt when Albion fired five goals past Norwich City midway through February.

Three consecutive defeats led into this month’s international break - two of which came against high-flying Chelsea and Arsenal - and now the Seagulls will be looking to get back on track when they visit Aston Villa on Saturday 7th April.

Albion then welcome Swansea City and Southampton to the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre, before closing off the season with a trip to Reading towards the end of April.