West Ham United U18s 2-2 Southampton U18s
U18 Premier League South, Little Heath Training Ground, Saturday 2 November 2024, 11.30am GMT

West Ham United U18s fought hard to earn a point against Southampton U18s in a gripping 2-2 draw with goals from Elisha Sowumni and Andre Dike at Little Heath Training Ground in the U18 Premier League South.

Despite Sowunmi’s early strike, Southampton surged ahead before half-time with two quick-fire goals from Nicholas Oyekunle and Sufianu Sillah-Dibaga. However, a well-timed second-half goal by Dike rescued a point for the young Hammers.

Lead coach Lauris Coggin made four changes to the side that drew in an end-to-end 4-4 tie on Tuesday with Everton in the U18 Premier League Cup.

The Hammers started with purpose, pushing forward into Southampton’s defensive channels and quickly creating opportunities. Early corners were earned after a clear intent to use Sowunmi’s and Dike’s pace, hinting at West Ham’s aggressive approach.

However, it was the visitors who had the first big chance. Finley Hooper misplaced a pass in an attempt to play out from the back but recovered extremely well to save Oyenkunle’s effort.

Minutes later, Sowunmi continued his remarkable form with a fantastic curling shot in the 13th minute. After Dike’s initial attempt was blocked, Sowunmi seized the loose ball and fired it in for his eighth goal in ten games, giving West Ham the early advantage.

This renewed confidence in the Hammers who then hit the bar with a bullet header from captain Airidas Golambeckis. He quickly followed up with an assist attempt from the rebound, setting up Rayan Oyebade, whose header sailed just over. That missed opportunity came back to haunt the home side as Southampton then scored two quick-fire goals within two minutes to put them ahead.

In the 37th minute, Sillah-Dibaga burst down the right flank, delivering a pinpoint cross that Oyekunle drove low and hard into the net, despite Hooper getting a hand to the shot. Two minutes later, a similar move saw Aston Daley beat the offside trap and square a pass for Sillah-Dibaga to notch the visitors’ second goal, putting Southampton 2-1 ahead.

The visitors closed the half with intensity, with winger Josh Pitts providing dangerous set-pieces and nearly scoring himself. His tricky footwork opened space for a shot, forcing Hooper into several key saves to keep West Ham within touching distance.

Despite the nervy end to the first half, West Ham kept their focus and had their own chances in behind in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Their persistence paid off when Riley Hargan, brought on as a substitute, reclaimed possession in midfield and found Sowunmi out wide. Sowunmi burst down the byline and set up Dike for a straightforward tap in, levelling the score at 2-2. This goal capped Dike’s excellent return from international duty with England U17s, where he recently scored in a 4-2 win over Sweden.

The final 20 minutes saw Southampton ramp up the pressure, with Pitts and Sillah-Dibaga stretching West Ham’s defence with pace and skill on the wings. Golambeckis proved crucial, repeatedly clearing dangerous crosses to relieve the defence, and Hooper kept the score level with an incredible stop to deny Oyekunle his second of the game.

Pitts nearly stole the win for Southampton, hitting the post in the dying minutes with a deflected shot. His last effort, a fast counter-attack down the left in stoppage time, narrowly missed the target, ensuring West Ham left with a hard-earned point.

With this result, the young Hammers now have ten points in the Premier League South with a game in hand. Their next fixture is away to league leaders Aston Villa on Saturday 9 November at 12noon.

West Ham United U18s: Hooper, Medine, Scanlon, Golambeckis ©, Oyebade (Halim 63), Nwosu, Dike (Chigwada 78), Kamara, Caliste, Sowunmi, Balogun (Hargan 54)
Subs not used: Awesu, Beckford

Goals: Sowunmi 13, Dike 60

Booked: Scanlon

Southampton U18s: Shombe, Adjei-Afriyie, Dobson-Ventura, Fry, Sewell, McMullan, Sillah-Dibaga, Daley, Oyekunle, Gathercole (Martin HT), Pitts
Subs not used: Sheaf, Upstell, Gorsmasandu, Bassenga

Goals: Oyekunle 37, Sillah-Dibaga 39

Coggin: This is a big learning week for us

West Ham United U18s lead coach Lauris Coggin says that despite missing a few key players including captain Preston Fearon through suspension, he was really pleased to get a result in a performance showing grit and determination in what was their third fixture in seven days.

“We’re really pleased with the endeavour that we showed,” he said. “It’s tough coming off the back of a three-game week. Especially at this level, we're missing a few players, like our captain, Preston, through suspension.

“So, the way that the boys dug in, especially in the second half, was fantastic. We were really pleased with how aggressive we were in the first 30 minutes, playing man to man, our build up was good. We created a lot of chances and scored a good goal, another one for Elisha. So, all in all, to get a result and show grit, determination as well as the quality, I'm really pleased.

“Off the back of a three-game week, this is a big learning week for us, managing different moments. Our goalkeeper, Fin, made some fantastic saves, which is needed when you play against quality opposition like Southampton. I think equally, we showed that we've got fantastic individuals. Aaron Kamara stepping into midfield and playing another position was fantastic. And also, Joe Scanlon, one of our U16s, stepping up again and being tested again with three games in a week, off the back of injury against a tough opponent. Fantastic for him."

Golambeckis: I’m proud to have captained the team

In the absence of Preston Fearon, goalscoring centre-back Airidas Golambeckis relished the opportunity to don the U18s' captain's armband for the first time, while remaining fully focused on the task at hand.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in,” he reflected. “They have a lot of good players, good one-on-one players, good strikers. But I think we dealt with it well. The first 35 minutes was very, very good. But in the last few minutes of the second half, we dropped off a little bit, which allowed them to score two quick goals. I still think we played well, and we’re just climbing up the table.

“I’m so proud to captain the team. But I don’t just look at it as being captain. Even when I don’t have the armband, I try to be a leader. But captaining the side is a nice feeling.”