Andrew Crofts's review of the under-23 campaign

From the under-23s who started the season, Jeremy Sarmiento, Andy Moran, Evan Ferguson, Odel Offiah, Ed Turns, Antef Tsoungui and Marc Leonard have all made their first-team debuts – with Jeremy and Evan also making their Premier League bows. That’s an incredible achievement for us, both as a group and an academy, and makes us very proud.

If you’d told me at the start of the season that we’d have that many players stepping up, I’d have found it hard to believe, so the progress made both as individuals and a team, has been huge. Ultimately it’s Graham and his staff who made that happen, but it’s also a result of the hard work that’s gone on within the academy, both this season and in past years.

You might think it’s hard for these players to readjust when they come back to us from the first team, and that is always a challenge with this age group, but they’ve been able to handle these challenges in a very professional way. We did a lot of work with them pre-season, in terms of setting expectations for those who do go up and then come back down, but they’ve taken it on board and been an absolute pleasure to work with. That hasn’t surprised me either as they are good people, with exceptional human qualities, as well as being good footballers.

Looking more generally, it’s fair to say the under-23s is a team that isn’t quite a team, given the different variables that affect us over the course of the season. We’ve had players who have gone out on loan, players stepping up from the under-18s, and some who, as mentioned, have moved up to Graham’s squad. We’ve still tried really hard to create a really good team spirit, which is something I was so keen on implementing when I took over, and hopefully the lads have enjoyed that.

For the younger players, it’s important the transition from the under-18s is a smooth one. We’ve had a young group this season, probably the youngest we’ve had, but with the COVID restrictions eased, we’ve been able to get to know the boys off the pitch as well as on it. That’s been so important when they have so much going on in their lives at that age.

Football-wise, the ethos remains the same, as it does through to the first team, but what we do impress on the 18s stepping up is that the expectations we set are really high. Just because someone has played a lot of games for the under-18s doesn’t mean they’ll automatically plays lots of games with us, but the younger players who have broken through can be pleased with their input and application this season.

I’d like to think that the Albion fans who have seen our games this season have seen some really exciting football. I’ve loved watching the boys play and I always tell them to go out and excite us, while also showing the correct attitude, work-rate and togetherness as a team. When we’ve got the ball we’ve always looked to hurt teams by playing an exciting brand of football, with people being brave on the ball and wanting to make things happen. 

As mentioned, our playing style and philosophy runs through the club and that is so important when players do make the step-up into Graham’s squad. We feel very lucky to have such a close relationship with the first-team staff, who are great people with wonderful human qualities, which makes that transition smoother for our younger players when they do get the call. 

The lines of communication are always open with Graham and his staff, and I probably talk to Billy Reid more than I do my wife! It’s wonderful to know that they are so invested in our younger players and that a pathway does exist. Aside from the first-team debuts made, our players have trained with the first team more than they’ve ever done. 

In terms of personal highlights, I think the Premier League debuts made by Evan and Jeremy are up there, so too travelling down to Cardiff with the rest of our under-23s coaching staff to see the players making their debuts in the Carabao Cup. We were kicking and heading every ball with them and were so proud to see them play, either as starters or from the bench. It was also enjoyable to support the boys in the next round against Swansea at the Amex.

There have been players who haven’t made their first-team debuts but who have still made great strides this season – the likes of Cam Peupion, Todd Miller, James Furlong and Jack Spong – and that has really pleased me too.

It was also good to end the season with some silverware with the Sussex Senior Cup win against Worthing. It was a special night to play at the Amex – capped by a fine goal from Lorent Tolaj. I was really pleased with the way we played and delighted for the boys to pick up the trophy in front of a decent-sized home crowd.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the under-23 staff who have worked so hard behind the scenes every day: Shannon Ruth, Sal Bibbo, Jack Pugh, Vic Bragg, Tom Ball, James Hamilton, Rich Scully, Ian Buckman, David Weir, and Gary Dicker before he left to join the under-18 staff. I’m really demanding but they’ve really supported me in that – and we have a nice balance of being demanding but enjoying our work and being supportive at the same time. It’s been a pleasure to work with them all and hopefully they’ve enjoyed it as well. I’d also like to thank the many people throughout the academy set-up for their support and input this season. 

So, with my first full season as under-23s coach having come to an end, I can honestly say I’ve loved every minute. As a coach I feel like I’m moving forward nicely and this summer I’ll be receiving my pro licence certificate, which is another step in the right direction. To work with so many good players, having built up so many good relationships with the staff, and to have the facilities and resources we have at our disposal, has made coming into work a real pleasure. I’m already excited for next season to start!