Zak attack as hat-trick helps under-18s to victory

Under-18s boss Gary Dicker was pleased with a ‘mature’ performance by the under-18s in their 3-1 win over Leicester City on Saturday.

Having lost 3-2 to Fulham last Tuesday, Zak Emmerson’s hat-trick ensured Albion returned to winning ways against the Foxes.

“It was a very good result,” Dicker said. “They did an efficient job, it was a mature performance and they used the conditions and their strengths to get a result.

“The things that we should have done against Fulham we did against Leicester.

“That’s a good demonstration of their ability to take on instruction quickly.

“We’ve had some good results as well as some where we’ve let ourselves down a little bit. But the boys have been a credit to themselves since they returned after the winter break.”

Dicker was impressed with Emmerson’s performance, as well as the team’s overall display.

“The hardest thing in football is putting the ball in the back of the net, but Zak did it with aplomb. They were three really good team goals and he could have had four or five in the end.

There were some really good performances from a number of players. Benicio [Baker-Boaitey] probably had his best game for us. Collectively it was a very controlled performance.”

The quick turnaround in games sees Albion face West Ham on Tuesday at midday, while the academy also has to contend with the Sussex Senior Cup semi-final against Horsham later in the day.

“West Ham are quite physical and they’ve gone unbeaten for a number of months as well.

“But with the Senior Cup taking place on Tuesday we will be calling on players from the younger age groups to make the step up, which is an exciting opportunity for them and gives us a good chance to assess where they are.”