West Brom boss urges youngsters to grasp chance in FA Cup

Academy graduates Harry Whitwell, 20, Ollie Bostock, 18, and Alex Williams, 21, are all part of Ramsay's first-team squad and champing at the bit for an opportunity.

It is likely to come at Carrow Road with Albion to rotate to protect the fitness of senior regulars for the Championship survival dogfight. But Ramsay called on the youngsters to catch the eye and convince they can play a part in the crucial weeks and months ahead.

Ramsay said: "You go back to someone like Tom Fellows, whether his chance came in this competition or not I don't know, but (these are) players that come with similar reputations, similar experiences in terms of first loan moves like Harry (Whitwell) over at Forest Green, and players can come from this bracket of players we've got at the moment.

"I mean, all the ingredients are there when you look at what the club has produced, some of the steps that these guys have taken, so I almost feel compelled as head coach to make sure that these guys are having an opportunity.

"The difficulty that we've encountered over the first month has made that tough, but I'm really minded to make sure that where we can, these guys play."

Ramsay's coaching background at his first clubs Swansea, Shrewsbury and Chelsea was in academy football, so the Baggies boss is well-versed in its merits.

He also spent six months in the Welsh national set-up and heard of the excitement about winger Bostock and full-back Williams.

"I know the staff really well there," Ramsay said of the Wales youth set-up. "It's a small staff, they've actually been in since I've been in and speak really highly of Ollie and really highly of Alex.

"With the Welsh guys, of course, it's small pool of players and every player that threatens to be a Championship player or above is really important to Wales, so I know there's keen interest in those two lads."

Former winger Fellows, now 22, moved to Championship rivals Southampton in a £10million switch last summer as the Baggies had to continue with the harsh reality of dealing with the financial realities of PSR regulations. He grabbed his chance as a 20-year-old in October 2023 and became a star in Albion's side.

Ramsay added of the challenges of using youngsters in the Championship pressure-cooker: "It's hard - and it's added to the fact that I also want to get a real feel for the senior players, established players and the more experienced part of the group that maybe hasn't had a load of minutes under their belt so far.

"We're obviously grappling with that. We've made steps forward with people like Jed Wallace and Daryl Dike, who have needed opportunities to build minutes, and that has probably come at the cost of someone like Ollie or someone like Harry Whitwell.

"These opportunities are just vital for us and them. For us in creating a sense of depth and potentially giving platforms to young players to become what hopefully they can be, and also for them, huge opportunities to go and put their hand up and say 'pick me'."