The closing minutes away home, a goal up and the hosts bombarding your six-yard box with corners and long throws.
There are bodies all over the place, a physical element and a home team who, having just pulled a goal back, suddenly sense a way back.
You do not get all that so often in the more measured world of Premier League 2.
But that what was what faced [Albion](https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/albion/)’s under-21s at Sutton United on Tuesday and an area where the older head among them could play a part.
Fabian Hurzeler talks about having a coach on the pitch in James Milner.
Shannon Ruth probably has the same to a degree in battle-hardened Ben Barclay, who came through the development ranks before going back up north to play in the lower divisions.
Albion stayed organised, threw bodies at the ball, saw their keeper Nils Ramming make a strong claim from a cross and saw out a 2-1 win in the National League Cup.
“We spoke about that, sort of getting the lads to all dig in, do the roles, and the feeling it will give you in the moment and after the game,” Barclay told The Argus after a job well done.
Grinding out narrow away wins is not the only reason Barclay has been brought back to the club.
He is there to play and work with the younger players and offer his advice and experience in the way Andrew Crofts and Gary Dicker did a few years ago.
The Seagulls have gone back to that approach with their 21s given just how young the squad s.
Not for every game. This was Barclay’s competitive debut.
But he is enjoying the new departure following his exit from Carlisle United at the end of last season.
He said: “It has been really good. I’ve been in now since the first day of pre-season and loved it.
“Obviously it’s completely different, moving away from the first team in the Football League or playing in the Conference, which most of my career has been.
“But still actively playing, full-time training every day, but also having half an eye on the closing moments of my career and how I'm going to transition afterwards.”
That could mean a more conventional coaching role, which is what Crofts and Dicker moved on to.
“Hopefully that will be the path I go down,” Barclay said.
“But I still feel like I've got a couple of years left of my body playing and enjoying that, but able to sort of give any of my experience and learning to the boys.
“Not as a coach but as a player alongside them on the pitch and in training.”
Barclay came through with a very talented and tactically aware group which included Steven Alzate, Viktor Gyokeres and Ben White.
On Tuesday, he played on the right of what was usually a three in which skipper Freddie Simmonds had the central role with Noel Atom to their left.
But it quickly looked more like a four when left-sided Sean Keogh tucked in.
Barclay, who turns 29 in the next fortnight, said: “We've got a really good group.
“From day one I think anyone that's watched us can see that from the first game against Aldershot all the way through the PL2 games, we've got a really good team and we probably should be five out of five winners up to now.”
Under-21s head coach Ruth would have loved his side to have kicked on from the 2-0 led and won comfortably.
But, from a development point of view, seeing them survive that late onslaught was hugely valuable.
Ruth said: “When we thought about Ben for the role, it was for nights like this to help our young players navigate themselves through situations they have never been through before.
“Ben did it brilliantly. With Harry Howell on the pitch, Freddie Simmonds on the pitch, Tyler Silsby – they are all 16,17.
“To have Ben next to them is really useful for us to help those young players.
“I thought he did great and it’s nights and games like this why we think the role is hugely important to us.”
Amid the defensive accolades, there was one other thing that should not be forgotten.
Barclay also scored the winning goal for Albion on a night when only two of the 12 academy sides beat their National League hosts.
The others were Leeds, with a Harry Gray hat-trick at Scunthorpe.
He recalled: “Harry Howell put the corner in - great delivery.
“I had sort of tried to assess the first couple of deliveries and get my timing right and then, by the third one, I managed to get it right and glance it in.”