West Brom put in international spotlight as top crowd turns out for England under 21 clash

Lee Carsley's Young Lions put on a show for The Hawthorns crowd - 15 years on since the ground had last held an international England fixture.

That game came back in 2009, as the England under 20s played Montenegro in a friendly in front of a crowd of just over 2,000.

But this one was a very different and certainly bigger occasion - as an almost 15,000 strong crowd turned out to watch Carsley's under 21 side against Portugal.

It was a landmark occasion for Albion, who were able to host an under 21 fixture after their application to the FA to welcome international matches was successful.

Albion put in a bid for an under 21 fixture, as well as other younger age groups and a women's fixture - with the governing body selecting The Hawthorns as a suitable venue.

It was fitting that the game was played at The Hawthorns in the ground's 125th anniversary year, and Albion didn't disappoint - playing superb hosts to the next crop of top England talent.

Unfortunately for everyone associated with Albion, there was no home representative on show, with Tom Fellows disappointingly left out of the squad for the Portugal clash, and friendly with France a few days earlier.

The Baggies flyer was rewarded with a first under 21s call up back in September following a blistering start to the campaign, and netted in a victory over Austria.

However, although a reserve for the fixture, Fellows was overlooked for this round of games, and looking at the line-up and the squad on show, you could maybe see why Carsley's side was made up of a mixture of Premier League regulars and those on the fringes at top flight outfits.

The occasion was all about Albion though, which was ironic given the first action of the evening involved a Wolves player being jeered by sections of the home supporters, as forgotten Wolves man Fabio Silva, on loan at Las Palmas, was booed as he went close to an opening goal.

Those jeers soon turned to loud cheers from the home support, as the quality of England's side showed.

Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackey rifled England in front after just seven minutes - the young midfielder's second strike at The Hawthorns this season, having netted the winner in Boro's victory over Albion back in October.

Minutes later the home supporters were again enjoying themselves as Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri's curling effort from 18 yards out doubled the lead.

England were cantering in front of the watching Hawthorns crowd, but the pantomime villain Silva was to have his say on proceedings, as he drew more boos from the Albion supporters when he pulled one back on 23 minutes.

The goal was the £35m signing's second in two outings at The Hawthorns, having netted in a 1-1 draw between Albion and Wolves back in May 2021.

Portugal went close to levelling when they struck the post in the first half - with England still carrying a threat on the break at the other end.

A raft of second half substitutes, as is the case in international friendlies, led to a lull in the game but not in the stands, as the 14,783 crowd created an impressive atmosphere inside The Hawthorns.

And they were given more to cheer in the final 15 minutes of the game, as England exerted their quality once more when Omari Hutchinson headed in a third goal.

Wolves loanee Carlos Forbs pulled a late goal back for the visitors, before former Villa man Jaden Philogene made it 4-2 and sealed a routine win for Carsley's men.

Having the top class stars of the future featuring at The Hawthorns was great to see for the supporters - but more importantly for Albion the spectacle put them in the international spotlight.

It showcased that the club can play host to high level international fixtures and attract a very good crowd despite there having been an absence of similar games for some time.

It will have no doubt whet the appetite of Albion officials to bring top international games back to The Hawthorns in the future - and hopefully the FA will feel the same way.