West Ham United U18s 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion U18s
U18 Premier League South, Little Heath Training Ground, Saturday 1 February 2025, 11am GMT
West Ham United U18s delivered a determined second-half display but were unable to overturn an early deficit as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Little Heath Training Ground.
A challenging first half saw the visitors take control with goals inside the opening five minutes and on the stroke of half-time, but the young Hammers responded well after the break, carving out a number of opportunities but were unfortunately unable to convert their momentum into a comeback.
The young Seagulls were on the front foot from the start, missing a big chance inside two minutes when a cross from Shane Nti found Aidan West unmarked in the box, but the striker steered his effort wide. It was an early warning sign, and moments later, the visitors made their early momentum count. Tyler Silsby played Theo Outen down the left, and his dangerous low ball across the face of goal evaded West, but teammate Nehemiah Oriola was on hand at the far post to turn it home.
The Seagulls continued to press, forcing West Ham goalkeeper Lanre Awesu into a smart reaction save midway through the half, sticking out his right leg to deny a first-time finish from West. The Hammers, though, grew into the contest, and just after the half-hour mark, a searching crossfield ball from Elisha Sowunmi found Andre Dike in space on the left. The winger beat his marker and delivered a precise low ball into the box, where Riley Hargan arrived to meet it, but his first-time effort flashed wide of the near post.
As the interval approached, Awesu was again called into action to push away a low strike from inside the box, but he could do little to prevent Brighton from doubling their lead in first-half stoppage time. Joe Middleton’s lofted pass over the top found Matthew Hayden, who reached the byline and fired a low cross into the danger area. Aaron Kamara got a touch, but the loose ball fell kindly for Darius Lane, whose deflected effort wrong-footed Awesu and nestled into the net.
West Ham emerged from the break with intent and nearly halved the deficit ten minutes into the second half. A lively burst down the right from U16s substitute Riley Ebho saw his cross deflect into the path of Majid Balogun, whose close-range effort was partially stopped by Brighton goalkeeper Alfie Mansell before Tate Ferdinand recovered to clear it off the line. In the same passage of play, Sowunmi then combined well with Dike, driving into the box before firing an angled strike across goal that narrowly missed the target.
The young Hammers continued to push, and on the hour mark, Chinaza Nwosu’s dangerous delivery from the left almost caught out Mansell at the far post, but the Brighton stopper reacted well to parry it away.
As the game entered the final stages, Brighton threatened to put the contest beyond doubt on the counter-attack, but U16s full-back Joe Scanlon produced a crucial last-man challenge to prevent Oriola from racing through on goal.
At the other end, West Ham kept probing, and with ten minutes remaining, Ebho’s interception high up the pitch led to a chance for Sowunmi, but his left-footed strike lacked the power to seriously test Mansell.
There was one final chance deep into stoppage time to grab a goal back. Jethro Medine and Scanlon combined well on the left, with the latter cutting the ball back perfectly for Sowunmi, whose goal-bound effort was deflected behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece, the ball eventually dropped for Scanlon in the box, but his strike clipped the top of the crossbar.
Despite the result, there were positives to take from a much-improved second-half performance. Lauris Coggin's U18s will now shift their focus to Tuesday’s Premier League Cup quarter-final against Manchester United at Rush Green.
West Ham United U18s: Awesu, Medine, Oyebade, Kamara, Scanlon, Nwosu, Hargan (Ebho 53), Caliste, Dike (Beckford 69) Sowunmi, Chigwada (Balogun HT)
Subs not used: Hooper (GK), Unwin
Booked: Hargan, Caliste, Nwosu
Brighton & Hove Albion U18s: Mansell, Hayden, Outen, Mthunzi, Ferdinand, Middleton (Ibrahim 71) Oriola (Kasosve 81) Lane (Alakiu 88), West, Nti, Silsby
Subs not used: Rutter (GK)
Goals: Oriola 3, Lane 45+1
Booked: Belmont, Mansell
Coggin: We created enough chances to take at least a point from the game
Speaking after the game, lead coach Lauris Coggin praised his side’s work ethic in the second half, staying true to the Academy’s values, hoping his young Hammers can use that momentum going into Tuesday’s Premier League Cup tie against Manchester United.
“We spoke as a group at half-time about our values, making sure we stay together, continue to run, work and fight for each other, and the boys did that. The amount of chances that we created in the second half were enough to get at least a point from the game. We now need to be more clinical and use the enthusiasm going into the game on Tuesday.
“The league format follows a pathway in which the majority of the group are with the U21s, which is a fantastic achievement. Tuesday’s game will be slightly different as a one-off cup tie, and it’s something we’re really looking forward to. We’ll be giving it a big push.”
Up Next...
West Ham United U18s return to action on Tuesday where they will host Manchester United in the Premier League Cup quarter-finals at Rush Green Stadium. The fixture will be live streamed on West Ham United's YouTube channel at 11am.