As Harry Whitwell wheeled away after scoring against Burnley back in August, the home fans in the Hawthorns erupted in unison. 

This was more than West Brom supporters celebrating a crucial goal against a potential promotion rival, though. Nine years after joining the Baggies' academy, the 20-year-old Whitwell, the latest academy gem from the club's underrated production line, had delivered a moment that showed he belonged.

‘I didn't really know what to do,’ Whitwell admits to Daily Mail Sport. ‘Growing up in the academy, you're always picturing scoring your first goal in the garden and thinking about what you’d do.

‘That went out the window. I was just taken aback for a little bit, but given I've been at the club for half of my life, it made it extra special.’

Whitwell joined West Brom aged 11 and has enjoyed a breakthrough few months after impressing in pre-season and earning the trust of boss James Morrison.

His goal against Burnley was his first in the league for the club, following an EFL Cup strike against Rotherham a few weeks earlier.

Although usually a central player, he has largely operated on the right of Morrison’s fluid 4-4-2 set-up, making 12 appearances in all competitions as West Brom sit fifth in the Championship. A new contract last month was recognition of his progress.

‘It’s what I’ve always wanted, and I’ve loved every minute of it,’ Whitwell says. ‘It took a bit of time from my first game in the FA Cup to break through properly, but to be given a chance at the club you've grown up at is a dream come true.’

Patience has been key. Whitwell made his first-team debut against non-League Aldershot in the FA Cup in January 2024, before his Championship bow came in May 2025. A superb loan spell at Forest Green Rovers followed, but opportunities were limited after he was recalled in January.

He featured just twice in the league during a chaotic campaign in which West Brom narrowly avoided relegation. Morrison answered an SOS call in late February to take charge for a third spell as interim boss, guiding the Baggies to safety with 18 points from 12 games.

Whitwell had no guarantees when he reported for pre-season and was prepared to head out on loan again, but his immediate priority was to impress the coaching staff and see where it led.

Although he barely featured after his recall, he views that period as an invaluable learning experience.

Morrison’s impact over that time saw his role become permanent, and the momentum was carried into a summer rebuild that brought ten new arrivals.

The recruitment focused heavily on young talent at the behest of chairman Shilen Patel, technical director Dominic Price and head of football operations Ian Pearce, with Jimmy-Jay Morgan, Rabby Nzingoula and Toby Collyer among the additions. Norwegian midfielder Felix Horn Myhre, 27, was the only outfield signing older than 23. 

Meanwhile, experienced high-earning stars including Karlan Grant, Alex Mowatt, Jed Wallace and Josh Maja departed as the Baggies trimmed their wage bill.

‘It's really exciting,’ Whitwell says. ‘We could be doing better, but to be in the play-off spots is really good. The squad is quite young, but it’s made up of players who are trying to prove themselves and are full of energy.

‘We're maybe just missing that final bit in front of goal to show that we're a team who can really be among it this season at the top.’

Morrison, an Albion legend who made 341 appearances for the club between 2007 and 2019, has played a significant role in Whitwell’s development. He previously coached the midfielder in the academy and handed him his Championship debut against Luton in May 2025.

‘We have a really good relationship,’ Whitwell says. ‘He's provided me with a lot of chances in the first team. With the career he's had, and as a fellow midfielder, I just want to learn as much as I can from him. He's always given little pieces of information which have been helpful and made me see the game a bit differently.

‘Maybe that’s why it’s been a bit more comfortable for me making that jump to the first team too, because I’ve worked with him before and know how he works and what he demands.’

West Brom remain a work in progress, with defeats against rivals Wolves and Birmingham exposing their deficiencies, while they’ve conceded first in their past six games. But there are encouraging signs of quality and resilience, evidenced by comeback wins over Blackburn and Wrexham in recent weeks.

Whitwell is enjoying the atmosphere around the squad and has struck up particularly close friendships with striker Barney Stewart and young goalkeeper Joe Wallis. 

He sits alongside Albion’s Norwegian duo Aune Heggebo and Felix Horn Myhre on the team bus, and even started learning Norwegian on language app Duolingo as a result. That proved to be a struggle, however, with his lessons lasting only a week. Whitwell can at least safely order a coffee and say thank you next time he visits Oslo.

His progress is testament to West Brom’s academy, an often-underappreciated production line that has developed a host of talented stars over the years.

Morgan Rogers left for Man City aged 17 in a £5million move, while the sales of Tom Fellows, Alex Palmer and Dara O’Shea in recent times helped ease the club’s financial pressures under the troubled ownership of Chinese businessman Guochuan Lai, who sold up to Patel in 2024.

Under its manager Richard Stevens, who has just passed seven years at the club, the academy has continued to emphasise that hard work is key to player development. Whitwell, speaking to Daily Mail Sport as part of the EFL’s 'Raised in the EFL' initiative, which celebrates the work of youth systems, is the latest graduate to make the step up.

‘There's a lot of really good people and coaches who are very experienced and good at developing players,’ he says. 'We're hard-working and down to earth, too. The academy doesn't get the money that maybe the big clubs get, but all of our teams are focused on hard work, resilience and technical quality.’

Whitwell looked up to the likes of Fellows, Caleb Taylor and Sam Field during his own academy days and now, having established himself in the first team, he is a key part of a West Brom side that face a significant week before the international break. 

A trip to West Ham is followed by back-to-back home games against Southampton and Millwall, and with eighth place now enough to qualify for the play-offs, the Baggies have an opportunity to underline their promotion credentials.

For Whitwell, the challenges keep coming but his determination won't waver after committing his future to the club until at least 2029.

‘To get that show of faith and be able to commit the next few years here was a really good feeling but this is just the start,’ he says. 

‘I’m not taking anything for granted and just trying to make as many appearances as possible. Hopefully I can get more goals and assists because that's what you get judged on as an attacking player.

‘If we can get a bit of positive momentum leading into the international break, that will put us in a good position. Our home games are massive for us, so we’ve got to make the Hawthorns a fortress.’