West Bromwich Albion

September's challenges continue to heighten for Albion Under-21s as they prepare for another trip to the capital this week - this time, facing Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night (ko 7pm).

The young Baggies play the third of four games this month against Spurs and a mixture of discipline, attacking intent and game management is being demanded from forward, Donte-German Ranger, who has been speaking ahead of their next Premier League 2 test.

Last time out

A 10-man Albion side lost 2-0 at Fulham's Motspur Park training facility last time around.

Defender Jamal Mohammed was dismissed in the second half of a match which saw the academy hopefuls from the Black Country have limited opportunities in the final third against an effective opponent in the Cottagers.

Pre-match thoughts

Young attacker Ranger is determined to take his chance when Albion take on Tottenham's starlets in Hertfordshire.

Ranger, who signed a two-year professional contract as a second-year scholar in the early stages of the 2024/25 campaign, has been finding his feet in the club's PL2 team at the beginning of the current season, starting just twice against Brighton and Crystal Palace in August.

But the recently-turned 19-year-old hopes it's a case of opportunity knocks for him in Friday's match against Spurs' star-studded academy side, as he urges the Baggies' youngsters to "keep their heads up", respond effectively and learn from this tough spell by bouncing back in their next league game.

"We have to keep going and keep our heads up," said Ranger.

"The game at Fulham last time was quite difficult, especially after going down to 10 men. "Tactically, we stayed in the match but things didn't quite hold for us and we couldn't recover after the second goal.

"So, this week has all been about staying focused at the training ground, analysing where went wrong, and seeing how we can put things right on Friday against Tottenham.

"The fluidity to our play will come with more work on the training pitch as that will, hopefully, allow us to create better scenarios to take advantage of when it comes to matches.

"I want to start as many games as I can this season and get those goals and assists to my name to help my career going forwards. The only way to do that and to get those numbers is by playing well consistently whenever I get the opportunity.

"Every game is a chance to make amends, think positively, and create more moments in front of goal against Spurs in the next match could really help our momentum going forwards.

"Keeping a clean sheet would give us a good platform to build from, but I want to contribute too and that is just as important so hopefully it all comes together on Friday."

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Ryan Mason will be looking forward to kicking off his managerial career at The Hawthorns having been appointed the club’s new head coach on a three-year-deal.

The 33-year-old steps into the position having previously played as a midfielder for a number of top teams, and England’s national side, before a serious injury cut short his career on the pitch.

Off it, he’s climbed the coaching ladder and worked under some of the game’s most high-profile managers at former club Tottenham Hotspur, while also taking charge on an interim basis on two separate occasions. He now joins West Bromwich Albion before the 2025/26 Sky Bet Championship campaign.

Born in London, Mason signed for Spurs’ academy at the age of eight. He progressed through the system and penned his first professional contract in the summer of 2008. His senior debut would follow soon after, coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 win at NEC Nijmegen in the UEFA Cup in November of the same year.

Loan spells with Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall, Lorient in France and Swindon Town followed over the next few years before Ryan became a regular in the Spurs XI during the 2014/15 campaign.

His performances at club level led to international recognition. On March 31, 2015, Mason stepped off the bench to proudly make his Three Lions debut in a 1-1 draw against Italy in a friendly in Turin. It was certainly a memorable night for Albion’s new boss. Not only did he represent his country, but he also claimed the assist as Andros Townsend crashed home an equaliser.

He clocked up 70 appearances in total for Tottenham, but left to join Hull City in August 2016. During a match with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in January 2017, Ryan suffered a significant head injury – one which would cruelly end his playing days.

Following the official news around an early retirement, his next steps were clear - work on his coaching badges while learning in a professional environment.

Mason’s mentor John McDermott, now Technical Director at The FA, handed him an opportunity to return to his footballing roots, re-joining the North London club as an academy coach in April 2018 to make early inroads on his management journey. Mauricio Pochettino, who Ryan also cites as having an influence on his style, was senior boss at the time.

It wasn’t long until Mason’s first lead role in Spurs’ youth system came about - taking charge of the Under-19s for their UEFA Youth League competition in 2019, which saw them face European sides Bayern Munich, Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade.

Tottenham’s development players certainly benefitted from senior exposure under serial winner and one of the world’s most decorated managers in José Mourinho, who was appointed midway through the 2019/20 campaign.

But it was when the Portuguese boss parted ways with the club in April 2021, that a chance presented itself for the former England midfielder to experience his first lead role in senior football.

Taking interim charge of the first team, at the club he’d been at since the age of eight, Ryan became the youngest coach in Premier League history at 29-years-old - guiding Spurs to a 2-1 win over Southampton. They would go on to record victory in six out of eight top flight games in total.

Despite tournament anguish in the League Cup Final against Manchester City, Mason enjoyed some priceless league experiences in addition to leading Spurs out at Wembley.

His temporary stewardship of the Lilywhites ultimately came to a successful end. Spurs finished the 2020/21 season in seventh position and qualified for the following campaign’s Europa Conference League.

Although Ryan returned to Tottenham’s academy setup as Head of Player Development, it wouldn’t be long until he was back around the senior fold.

Who better to hand Mason his maiden full-time role within the first-team management group than five-time Serie A winner and 2016/17 Premier League champion, Antonio Conte.

His arrival in November 2021 meant Mason was named first-team coach by the former Italy manager, allowing him to attain invaluable knowledge during Conte’s reign - with the pair working closely before Antonio departed in March 2023.

Mason took charge of six more games later that season. In that time, Spurs drew at Old Trafford and recorded wins over Crystal Palace and Leeds United.

Ange Postecoglou swapped Celtic for Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and Ryan was appointed his No.2. The two enjoyed a successful relationship which resulted in a triumphant end - winning the UEFA Europa League against Manchester United to cap off the 2024/25 term.

The trophy ended Spurs’ 17-year wait for silverware, and sends Mason into his first job hungry for more.

Albion’s U18 side ended the 2024/25 term with a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday lunchtime.

Striker Divine Onyemachi scored the game’s only goal in the middle of the opening period, finishing from inside the area at the second time of asking after his initial attempt had been saved.

Both teams had opportunities in the second period, but neither found the net.

After going two goals down, Leigh Downing’s Under-18s staged a remarkable comeback to claim a 3-2 win over Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground on Saturday afternoon.

It wasn’t the ideal start to proceedings from Albion’s scholars, with wasted opportunities being ruthlessly punished by the hosts.

Jamel Beggs and Reiss Elliott-Parris looked to have handed Tottenham a favourable 2-0 advantage with 40 minutes on the clock, but Divine Onyemachi netted a response in the the third minute of added time to halve the deficit and give the visitors a way back into the clash at the break.

It was a route they took full advantage of, too, and Alfie Maughan’s delivery - an ever-present route to goal for the 18s this season - was how they restored parity in the 58th minute. New Zealand youngster Noah Dupont was the beneficiary, heading in the cross to make it 2-2.

Despite his touch taking him away from the target, a one-two with Rio Parmar allowed him to get the ball back under his spell to finish past Sam Archer in the Spurs goal - bagging his brace and completing the turnaround in the capital.

Tottenham pushed for a leveller, but it never came, as Downing’s troops returned to the Black Country victorious after a resilient performance.

Albion: Brady (GK), Maughan, Dupont, Morrish, Letlat (Sears 51), Crowther, Blackshields (Asomugha 79), Parmar, Beedie (Trialist 17), Okorodudu, Onyemachi.

Subs not used: Wilkes (GK), Abudu.