Shannon Ruth reflects on our Under-21s' 2023

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The men's under-21s enjoyed a successful year.

Luke Nicoli

2023-12-30T06:00:00Z

A huge acheivement for the under-21s in 2023 was reaching the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy.

Men's under-21s head coach Shannon Ruth reflects on a year which has seen a number of his group make a successful transition to the first-team squad.

Andy Moran, Odel Offiah, Cam Peupion, Jack Hinshelwood, Benicio Baker-Boaitey and Josh Duffus have all made their first-team debuts in 2023, having stepped up from the U21s, while a number of others have been on the bench. You must be delighted…

The really pleasing thing for us in the academy, and certainly when we’re presenting to our scholars on their induction to our U21 group on the first day of pre-season, is to show that there is a clear pathway which exists to the first team. We can look back over the year and present a solid body of evidence that is currently unrivalled elsewhere in the Premier League. We’re passionate about giving opportunities to our young players and it’s been a positive year in that respect. We don’t ever rest on our laurels though; we’re constantly looking at who’s next so that when Roberto needs another player, we have someone ready and available.

Josh Duffus made his Europa League debut in our 1-0 win at AEK Athens.

With a number of injuries sustained by first team players, Roberto has had to call up U21 players probably sooner than he would have liked, so how do you get their mindset ready in a short space of time?

We’re now at a place where we’re consistently challenging our young players to be ready. As these injuries have shown, you simply don’t know when an opportunity might present itself, so the players must be ready by training hard every single day. The advantage they have is that, as a group, they have regular exposure to the first team in training and, as a result, feel it’s in touching distance and that it could be them next. Knowing our U21 players as I do, when they see Jack or Benicio or Josh playing for the first team, they want a bit of that too. They feel their ambitions are achievable; tough but achievable.

Even if we didn’t have injuries, it’s clear that Roberto enjoys seeing young players progress into his squad…

A big part of our first-team environment is geared around young players learning and performing at the highest of levels. You’ve got a manager who loves giving young players a chance and who believes in them, while the senior players in the first team have a great way of demanding high standards from our U21s but also help give them the confidence and environment to perform and become the best version of themselves. Andrew Crofts’ input should also be recognised here; he is the link between Roberto and the academy and a big part of the process. He knows our U21 players well and I speak to him daily, ensuring that the line of communication is always open.

Having lost players to the first-team squad, that must have opened the door to U18 players joining your group this year…

Absolutely. We look at our depth charts and from there we can see who’s best placed to step up from the U18s and who can then move into that group from the U16s. We’re at a place now where we’ve got internationals in all our younger age groups who are keen for that next challenge. We’re having to produce and develop our young players far quicker and far faster than ever before, because of the speed at which the club is growing, but it’s a wonderful challenge and it means our younger players have a realistic chance of making the next step.

Is it hard to manage the expectations of the U21 players who have had a taste of the first team but who then find themselves back with your group? And what about the players in the 21s who have been overlooked by the first team to this point?

It’s a situation that happens very frequently in the U21 group, but we make sure we are as open, honest and transparent with the players as we can be. We deliver any information and feedback that comes from the first team back to them, or what they need to do to make that step up – and, again, Crofty is very important in that process. The players are always very, very clear of where they’re at and what their individual development plan is, and it’s also important to remember that everybody’s journey is different. Ben White, for example, went from League Two, League One and the Championship to the Premier League, while Evan Ferguson was fast-tracked to our first team. We’ve also had Andy Moran make his first-team debut before going out on loan to Blackburn, so we are always keen to show our players that no two players’ development is the same.

Shannon Ruth's team finish 2023 in seventh spot in Premier League 2.

What have been the standout performances from the U21s this year?

Some staff in academy football are afraid to say it, certainly in U21 football, but winning is important. We don’t sacrifice the players’ development for it of course, and certainly wouldn’t sacrifice how we play, but with this being the last step before first-team football, learning to win and perform within our style and framework is a really key area. A huge highlight, therefore, has been making the last 16 of the EFL Trophy for the first time, with a 4-0 win at MK Dons recently. To perform how we did was a real highlight for us and making progress in the competition will provide further challenges and experiences in 2024. Another highlight was our 3-2 win at Chelsea in August. Falling 2-0 behind within half an hour, we battled back to win 3-2, which showed the character we also possess in the team.

How have you enjoyed playing in the Premier League International Cup this year?

It’s been another highlight, certainly. It’s a competition that feels different to the domestic calendar, even if I can’t quite put my finger onMarch, only to go out in the tenth minute of injury time to Valencia, but as fate would have it, we have found ourselves in the same group as them this season. This time we took on board all the experiences learnt from that defeat to win 3-2 in early October, and it was a very satisfying win. We also faced Celtic at the Amex last month and in front of 1,000 fans it proved to be an entertaining game – if not for me and the coaching staff as we let a three-goal lead slip! However, we again showed our character to win the game and it was a wonderful experience for our players to run out at the Amex.

Noel Atom netted in Albion's 2-1 win over Lyon in the Premier League International Cup.

We should also mention the players who have gone out on loan this year…

Thanks to the fantastic background work of Gordon Greer [pathway development manager] and David Weir [technical director], we have a number of players who have performed really well at various levels this year. We have mentioned Andy, who has done so well at Blackburn, while also in the Championship Carl Rushworth has been a regular in goal for Swansea. Another young keeper, James Beadle, is having a fantastic season in League One with Oxford, while Ed Turns helped Leyton Orient to the League Two title last season and has maintained his place this season. Mark Leonard [Northampton] and Jensen Weir [Morecambe and now Blackpool] have also featured regularly for their clubs and the experiences gained will be invaluable as they move forward with their careers.

Finally, the U21s group is not a one-man band, is it?

As we continue to grow, the staff around the group also grows, and the environment and culture we believe in is only possible with the staff we have working with us. It is a fantastic group, with lots of moving parts, and the players wouldn’t be performing at the level they are now at without their expertise, so a big thank you to Gary Dicker [U21 assistant head coach], Mikey Harris [U21 coach], Vic Bragg [professional development phase coach], Sal Bibbo and Owen Fisher [goalkeeper coaches], Sam Hall [U21 analyst], Dan Farrar [head of academy analysis], Colin Brand [player care lead], James Hamilton [S&C coach], Rich Scully [U21 physio], James Murray [lead PDP physio], Harry Wood [academy kit manager] and Matt Thomas [nutritionist]. Your work has been greatly appreciated throughout 2023 and we look forward to more good times together as a group in 2024.