Goalkeeper James Beadle believes the pathway put in place for him has seen him come on ‘leaps and bounds.’
He says the coaching he’s received in the last 12 months from lead academy goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo and under-21s head coach Shannon Ruth has improved his game a lot.
Beadle will be hoping to showcase his qualities again on Sunday when the under-21s return to Premier League 2 action against Crystal Palace at the American Express Elite Performance Centre (4pm).
He said, “I have improved massively since I have been here because of what the club has in place and the coaches I have worked with.
“If I look at myself when I first joined compared to now, I feel like twice the keeper. With Shannon we’ve got a clear way of playing, we’ve stuck to that and that’s why we went on such a good run before Christmas. Everyone knows what they’re doing.”
Albion enjoyed a 12-game unbeaten sequence against fellow academy sides before Christmas and Beadle is confident start another run and says there will be an extra edge as Palace are the visitors.
“There’s always that rivalry with Palace and it adds an edge. It’s a big game in the calendar which we’re looking forward to,” he added.