7pm 15 October 2025
Premier League Cup, Group E
West Bromwich Albion U21 0 Exeter City U21 0 (att 107)
For all the hype that surrounds the Premier League, it's cup competition goes under the radar. Unsurprisingly though as it's contested by under 21 sides, and includes some, such as tonight's visitors Exeter City, who you wouldn't associate with the top tier of English football.
Not that the Grecians haven't justified their inclusion. This was their third group fixture, and they'd won both their opening two against Brentford and Luton Town. Holding West Bromwich Albion to a draw keeps them well placed for the knock out stages.
Exeter started well and had the better of the first half, although the Albion goal was never in real danger. The home side were better in the second period, but it was late in the game before they really pushed for a winner.
The closest we came to a goal was a fine save by the Exeter keeper in stoppage time, but I was resigned to seeing a nil nil draw, my sixth already this season, long before the end.
While the game won't linger long in the memory the main attraction for me, as usual, was the venue. Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, refurbished for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has only rarely staged football in the past.
This season it has become home to West Bromwich Albion's women's team, and is also hosting some of the clubs under 21 men's fixtures, of which this was the first.
It's an impressive stadium, although a crowd of a little over a hundred was somewhat lost among the 18,000 seats, even though only the lower tier of one stand was open.
Unsurprisingly the fixture attracted a fair few groundhoppers, without whom the paying attendance wouldn't have made three figures. The Premier League Cup may be a low key competition, but I'd expected more Albion fans to turn up to watch.
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