Mark McGhee put teenager Ben Hall in his Motherwell first team and told him he was staying there.

He asked experienced sidekick Stephen McManus, the former Scotland captain, to guide him through his first half-season in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

And he was very unhappy when, after months of trying to keep him, he saw the Northern Ireland under-19 international leave for Albion at the end of his contract.

All of which tells you a lot about a no-nonsense defender who has been given expert guidance at Fir Park.

Albion’s latest signing is a quality addition to the under-21s and underlines that they will expect quite a bit more from their development squad, in first-team terms, than they got last season.

The Argus:

Connor Goldson, pictured above, is the obvious example for Hall to follow. While the latter is younger than Goldson, he is more mature as a person and player than his age suggests.

McGhee certainly had no qualms after pitching him in for his debut at the turn of the year. Hall earned man-of-the-match honours in that game and again in his subsequent outing, a notable 2-1 win over Celtic at Parkhead.

He said: “Mark McGhee was brilliant with me. As soon as I played my first game he told me from there I would play every week.

“That gave me great confidence as a young lad. It’s a big challenge now, coming down from Scotland, and it’s one I’m looking forward to.”

McGhee surprised a lot of observers when he picked Hall ahead of Kieran Kennedy, a signing from Manchester City. He paired Hall with 33-year-old McManus in the heart of his back line and it worked.

McGhee told The Argus: “I put him in the team at Christmas and he has never been out of the team. He didn’t know what it was like to lose a game for about two months.

“I put him alongside an experienced centre-half in McManus and he did very well. Then he was taken away against our wishes and off to Brighton.”

Hall was taken to Motherwell, initially for the youth set-up, from Dungannon Swifts by Stephen Craigan, the under-20s coach who previously captained Northern Ireland. He is currently supporting his country from the stands at Euro 2016.

But such was his progress in recent months, there was talk in Scotland at one stage that he might have to swap his ticket for some boots while he was in France.

The Argus:

Hall learned quickly alongside experienced Stephen McManus

The suggestion was Craigan, who is a coach with the national team, might recommend him for a shock call-up.

Hall made 16 Premiership starts, went off the bench twice, scored against St Johnstone and also played in a Scottish Cup tie.

There was also a great occasion to enjoy at Hampden Park, when he helped Motherwell win their first ever Scottish Youth Cup, beating Hearts in a final which attracted about 3,000 fans. The club flew Ward’s mum over from Northern Ireland to be at the game.

Albion were one of at least three Championship sides who tracked him for some time. The defender is believed to have secured a big wage rise by moving south but there were other aspects which impressed him.

He said: “The whole city is a lovely place to be around. Hopefully I will be here for many more years to come.”

So will he do a Goldson? It is perhaps an unfair standard to set but his arrival spells out how Albion are viewing their development squad these days under the guidance of Simon Rusk.

Goldson was not specifically a development squad signing but gave clear indications of what he could do with a couple of impressive outings with the under-21s as he waited for his first-team chance.

Hall, by contrast, was described by the club as initially an under-21 signing.

Boss Chris Hughton said of the development squad: “They need to be ready mentally and physically to make that step up at any point in the season as, should we have an injury or suspension, that’s where we will need to draw our cover from.

“While Connor Goldson had that bit more experience when he arrived last summer, his rapid progression in the second half of last season proves just how quickly players can and will progress at this club.

“A regular in the under-21s during the first half of the season, he was ready and grabbed his chance with both hands.

“He kept our captain and a current international out of the team, and deservedly won young player of the season.”

Hall might not do that. But there is no doubt he has been signed for the Championship, sooner or later.