Assistant coach Lauris Coggin expects a real test when West Ham United U18s head to Manchester City on Saturday morning.
The young Hammers face a repeat of their FA Youth Cup fourth-round tie in the Premier League Cup quarter-finals, and know they will have to be at their best to compete with the Citizens.
While Manchester City edged the match between the two sides last month by a 2-0 scoreline after extra-time, West Ham, who sit top of the U18 South Division table, can take plenty of positives into the fixture.
Coggin is excited about the challenge in Manchester, and is pleased the Hammers’ success in the competition has earned them another clash in which they will be pushed once more…
Manchester City in the Premier League Cup is an exciting opportunity for us to test ourselves against really good opposition.
It is another important game that will challenge us differently, and it is an away game at a fantastic venue. It is one we are looking forward to, for sure.
Manchester City are always going to give you challenges, but we coped well with their threats in the FA Youth Cup game.
We want to be even braver, and be a team that is on the front foot. We want to bring our personality to Manchester and play with courage. As much as they will be a threat to us, we have to be a threat to them too.
We have got a lot of young players, so these experiences in knockout football are important.
We played two of the toughest teams in the country in the FA Youth Cup, in Manchester City and Southampton. Saturday’s game is another good experience for the boys, and it is a challenge for us. We are under no illusions that it will be difficult, but we are ready for it.
We work throughout the week with the boys to make sure they are ready.
We have great support from across the departments at Chadwell Heath, who provide the boys with all the support they need to be match-ready. Travelling to Manchester the day before, staying, and playing at a fantastic facility is a great experience and challenge too. We’re all looking forward to it.
