Who is Jack Bray? The West Brom youngster who put Juventus to the sword in front of Ryan Mason
Ryan Mason was in the stands on Wednesday night as West Brom’s Under-21s beat Juventus 4-2 in the Premier League International Cup.
Bruno Martinez Crous’ comical own goal broke the deadlock in the first half before Jack Bray scored on either side of half-time to see West Brom march into a comfortable lead.
Diego Pugno pulled one back for Juve in the 69th minute before Francesco Crapisto made it 3-2 in the sixth minute of stoppage time at the end of the game.
However, substitute Rio Parmar, who recently scored four goals versus Birmingham, rounded off the Baggies’ victory just seconds later.
Albion’s Under-21s lost their opening game 3-0 against Danish side Nordsjaelland at The Hawthorns last month.
After beating Juventus, they will play Borussia Monchengladbach’s side next in the competition on 29 October at home.
With Mason’s side in bad form in the Championship, there’s every chance he’ll want to continue keeping tabs on how the youth team are getting on.
Summer signing Jack Bray at the double to secure West Brom victory
West Brom signed Bray from Harrogate Town in the summer transfer window.
The 20-year-old striker put pen to paper on a three-year deal after breaking into Harrogate’s senior side last season.
He played twice for the Yorkshire club last term, once in the EFL Trophy in a defeat to Crewe in October, before making his league debut in a League Two loss against Grimsby.
Ahead of the 2025-26 campaign starting, West Brom News named Bray in a list of five wonderkids to watch this season.
And based on the evidence so far, how right were we?
Granted, Bray hasn’t scored yet for West Brom’s Under-21s in Premier League 2.
The teenager has played five league games for Downing’s side, completing just 90 minutes on one occasion.
However, a brace against the youth side of one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs is bound to have a positive effect on his confidence, his form and his development.
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What West Brom staff have said about Jack Bray
West Brom already had a good idea of what Bray would be able to offer them after he scored twice against their Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup in 2024-25.
Albion won a 10-goal thriller 6-4 after extra time, with Bray bagging both of his goals inside the opening 90 minutes, which ended four goals apiece.
After swapping North Yorkshire for the Black Country, academy manager Richard Stevens said: “It’s great to have Jack here.
“He’s a great person, has a lovely family behind him, loves his football and he will be a good acquisition to the group.
“In the FA Youth Cup, you play teams from different leagues, categories, and players get the chance to stand out. We watched Harrogate’s previous two matches before we played them last season and Jack stood out.
“We knew he’d be a threat against us and he was a handful throughout the 120 minutes – causing us all sorts of problems, scoring goals and being a constant threat.
“He is crafty with the ball at his feet, creative in tight areas, and has got that bit of off-the-cuff to his game which we don’t always see.”
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