Albion will eye more progress in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy when they visit Wycombe this evening (7pm).
Both teams probably need a win in this second round of fixtures if they are to progress from the group.
Wycombe, currently mid-table in League One, ended the young Seagulls’ best-ever run last season when they beat them in the quarter-final.
Results ARE important at academy level, partly because they open the door to more experiences.
But academy manager Ian Buckman can see other indicators that things are progressing in the right way.
Such as the demand there is now to take Albion’s players on loan and the quality of such deals the club can secure for the individuals they wish to see head out to further their education.
As Buckman recalls, he and former academy boss John Morling did not always find there to be such levels of interest.
Former first team skipper Gordon Greer has been joined by Sam Baldock in looking after players on loan.
Buckman said: “Gordon and Sam do a brilliant job on that.
“They are speaking to players well in advance and finding the right places for the right people.
“The vast majority of the time, they end up with some really positive experiences.
“I think any experience for them on loan is a good experience.
“This summer has been good for us again.
“We have ended up with a nice balance in the building, with players who have been with us for a couple of years and new players who have come up to the group this year and we have got some great loans.
“I think the level of loans now is key for us.
“The exposure they are getting now in terms of some of Europe’s top leagues and the Championship and beyond.
“It is nice as well to see some of the first team players having Premier League loans. It is another indicator.
“I always remember with John ten years ago, we couldn’t get a player out on loan within the Football League.
“Now here we are, with all of the work done by those people in that period of time and where we are today.
“That takes a lot of people over a lot of years.”
Albion youngsters have an array of competitions to tackle.
For the 21s, that means taking on senior squads from the EFL and, now, the National League, their contemporaries from European clubs (Albion play Anderlecht, Leipzig, Real Sociedad and Sporting of Lisbon this season) and visiting non-league clubs around the county in the Sussex Transport Senior Cup.
Last season, the 21s could claim, if that is the right word, to have beaten Valencia and Celtic but lost to Steyning.
Buckman enjoys the variety of competitions, adding: “It’s brilliant. I think we really value that.
“For the players, it’s good for them to have that grounding and to experience those things.
“We often reference back to players who have come through the system and we have got Robert Sanchez and Viktor Gyokeres and Steven Alzate and all the players who have transitioned into the first team. Jack Hinshelwood more recently.
“As younger under-21, they will be exposed to senior football in the Sussex Senior Cup.
“As they mature within the group and become more of a starting regular, then they are more likely to feature in the EFL Trophy and beyond.
“We have 11 competitions across the 18s and 21s so we look at it very strategically in terms of how we are going to look after everyone from 17 to 21 in that pathway and hopefully tailor that well and give players the right experiences.”
Albion drew 2-2 at Crawley in their opening Trophy fixture before losing the penalty shoot-out for the extra point.
Of that night’s team, Malick Yalcouye, Amario Cozier-Duberry and Odel Offiah have since gone out on loan while Jensen Weir has signed a permanent deal at Wigan.
Cam Peupion, who opened the scoring that night, completed a superb hat-trick in the League Cup fixture against Reading on Friday.
More senior under-21s who have stayed in-house include Louis Flower, Josh Duffus and Irish midfielder Jamie Mullins.
Adrian Mazilu, the Romania under-21 international who played 25 senior games for Farul Constanta last season, is on his way back from a minor injury.
Buckman said: “We want to progress and do well in the competitions.
“It is not so much about the winning of the competition but for us every step forward is another experience.
“Certainly around our older age groups, we want to progress.
“We want them playing in knockout stags of competitions, as we did last year in the EFL Trophy, with the penalty shoot-out at the Amex.
“It is a balance of the two. Development is the most important thing.
“We are there to get players into the first team.
“At the same time we all want to be competitive.
“With the ambitions of the football club to be in Europe and Champions League football and beyond, we need to produce players who can cope with that and have that kind of mentality.
“I think it’s a big part of it.”
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