The Hawthorns hosted English international football for the first time in 16 years as England Under-21 beat Portugal 4-2 in a six-goal thriller on Monday evening.
Hayden Hackney and Ethan Nwaneri netted within the opening 10 minutes to earn the Young Lions an early two-goal advantage before Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Fabio Silva – currently on loan at Las Palmas – scored to reduce the deficit. Omari Hutchinson regained the two-goal cushion in the 76th minute before Carlos Forbs – another Wolves man – made it 3-2. Former Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene then scored in stoppage time to make sure of the victory.
Just shy of 15,000 supporters watched on at The Hawthorns on what was a monumental night for West Brom. The Baggies have been eager to host under-21 fixtures and have applied to schedule further England games in the future from other age groups.
England Under-21 head coach Carsley, who took interim charge of the senior national team for four months before Thomas Tuchel’s appointment, has been back with the Young Lions since the turn of the year. The 51-year-old was previously the head professional development coach at Birmingham City and was briefly the interim manager at St Andrew’s, following on from two years with Blues at the end of his playing career.
Carsley, born and raised in Birmingham, enjoyed his visit to West Bromwich on Monday, so much so that he would be eager to return in the not-too-distant future with his England Under-21 side.
When asked if he’d like to come back to The Hawthorns, Carsley told our sister publication, Express & Star: “Definitely, I thought it was a brilliant venue.
“I thought the crowd were really good as well and one of the big things we try and do is take the team around the country, so people can see hopefully the next generation of English internationals. It is definitely one we would love to come back to.”
Albion securing more international fixtures requires their applications to be accepted by the Football Association. Carsley’s comments could suggest West Brom are working towards that eventuality, or they could be taken a little more literally as straightforward praise.
Either way, the Baggies and The Hawthorns earning plaudits from Carsley is a real boost. Albion fans know all too well how loud and upbeat ‘the Shrine’ can be and now the Young Lions have had their own taste of the superb support, benefiting from the backing of a significant turnout.
And as the entire East Stand and much of the Birmingham Road End were packed out by an official attendance of 14,783 spectators, Monday’s match earned some tidy matchday revenue. Hosting more matches can only be a positive and, as Carsley alluded to, it gives locals the opportunity to see some of the nation’s most exciting up-and-coming stars up close.
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