Fulham Under-21s hit the road on Monday with a trip to the Midlands to take on West Bromwich Albion (7pm ko).
Form
West Brom:
The young Baggies will be searching for their first league win since mid-August, when they fired three past local rivals Aston Villa away from home. Since then, they gathered two draws against Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland before suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea.
Fulham:
Hayden Mullins' side still boast an unbeaten record since the start of the season. It's been a wholly positive couple of weeks for our youngsters, who smashed Brentford 6-1 away from home in the Premier League Cup before grabbing another draw in the EFL Trophy, this time at Leyton Orient.
One To Watch: Fenton Heard
The English midfielder, born in 2004, has found his feet at Under-21s level and is an exciting prospect for Albion. Heard can play in any advanced position across the pitch, with his close control and forward-thinking style making him a valuable part of the Under-18s setup during his two years at that level.
Last Time Out:
With the young Baggies competing in the second division before the format change, the two sides haven't met since May 2022. Terry Ablade got himself on the score sheet for us in the 94th minute, but two earlier goals for West Brom meant it ended in defeat.
Mullins: Expecting A Tough Game
Under-21s Head Coach Hayden Mullins is ready for a stern test in the form of the young Baggies.
"We’re expecting a tough game," he told fulhamfc.com. "I’ve seen some bits from their game against Chelsea and they’re a physical side so it’ll be a physical game which we’ll have to stand up to. Every team you play in this league represents a different test and we’re ready for a good challenge come Monday.
"I think the most important thing is what we’re trying to drive home to the players. The results and the way games have gone is because of the work we’ve been putting in.
"That’s what we focus on and hopefully then the results will take care of themselves."
Reflecting on our 2-2 draw at Leyton Orient, Hayden added: "There were a lot of positives to take. How you want the team to play and approach the game obviously changes when you’re against a senior team, due to the changes in pace and power and the athleticism that they’ve got.
"We had to work things out a little bit at the beginning and were getting pinned back. We conceded a goal by being a little bit naive and then I was happy with how we grew into the game.
"We got ourselves a goal back by applying the same pressure in an area near their goal, we nicked the ball and Kristian [Šekularac] provided a nice finish.
"We regrouped at half-time and I thought we were much better in the second half for a good period. We took the lead and then fell into the trap of defending that lead a little too much. It’s understandable against a men’s team and the boys were desperately unlucky to concede so late."
On the impact of our Under-18s stepping up, he said: "They’re all doing fantastic. Callum [Osmand] has been brilliant since he’s been with us, Aaron [Loupalo-Bi] has stepped up well and we’ve had young Jon Esenga and Bradley De Jesus who have been playing in defence.
"The lads who have come up have been brilliant and they’ve really helped out when they’ve needed to. Giving them minutes against senior teams is great exposure for them and I think it’s what the EFL Trophy is all about. It’s giving them a platform for people to judge them against much older players."
Imani Lanquedoc was given some more minutes at Orient as he continues to rebuild his fitness following an ACL injury.
"It’s really good to see Imani out there. We’ve had to be careful with him the last couple of weeks in terms of when we put him back in and how long we do it for. Touch wood, he comes through the next few weeks fine and we can really let him off the leash at some point.
"He’s waited a long time for his games and hopefully now he can keep building. It was pleasing to get him out there the other night at Leyton Orient and let him have a look at that and see what that test was like. I’m sure when it’s time for him to fully step in, he’ll be ready."
FFCtv
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