Arsenal U18s v West Ham United U18s
FA Youth Cup final, Emirates Stadium, Tuesday 25 April 2023, 7pm BST
West Ham United U18s are preparing for a huge evening under the lights in north London as they take on Arsenal U18s in the FA Youth Cup final.
Kevin Keen's young side are getting ready for a first FA Youth Cup final appearance since 1999 but will take on an Arsenal team that, led by Jack Wilshere, saw off Manchester City in the semi-finals and will take home advantage at Emirates Stadium.
Nonetheless, the Irons are in immense form this season. The squad have secured the U18 Premier League South Division title, winning 18 of their 21 league matches, and come into the Youth Cup final on the back of a 3-1 win away to Leicester City on Saturday.
In the FA Youth Cup, Kevin Keen's side earned their place in the final thanks to a quartet of away wins in the earlier rounds before a semi-final clash at London Stadium.
The U18s saw off Sheffield United 3-1 before Christmas, before beating Burnley 1-0 in the fourth round thanks to George Earthy's late strike.
Victory in the last 16 was earned away to Stoke City thanks to a blistering attacking display, with the Hammers running out 4-1 winners, before a frantic and thrilling 4-2 extra-time win away to Ipswich Town in the quarter-finals.
A home draw finally presented itself against Southampton in the last four, with a Divin Mubama hat-trick inspiring the U18s to an impressive 6-1 win in front of 7,000 spectators at London Stadium.
Read on for all you need to know about Tuesday's final.
Tickets...
Supporters should note that West Ham United's away allocation of 7,000 tickets have sold out at the Emirates Stadium for Tuesday's FA Youth Cup final.
How To Follow...
Coverage of Tuesday's FA Youth Cup match between West Ham United and Arsenal will be available via a live blog at whufc.com, starting 90 minutes before kick-off, at 5.30pm.
The match will be available to watch via live stream in the UK on the FA Player. The game will be free to watch but signing up to the platform is required. The game can be viewed here.
The match will also be able to watch on the FA YouTube channel and across the FA's Facebook and TikTok channels.
Full highlights will be available on Wednesday morning on the Club’s YouTube channel, on the official West Ham United app, and at whufc.com.
Reaction from head coach Keen and the squad will also be available across Tuesday evening and Wednesday on the Club website.
Our FA Youth Cup history…
West Ham United have won the FA Youth Cup on three occasions since the tournament’s inception.
The first came in the 1962/63 season when the Hammers defeated Liverpool 6-5 across two-legs, before a second trophy was lifted in the 1980-81 campaign after a 2-1 aggregate win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The most recent win came in the 1998/99 season when the young Irons beat Coventry City 9-0 across two legs with a team that contained the likes of Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, captain Izzy Iriekpen and Bertie Brayley.
The Hammers have also been runners-up on four occasions; in 1957, 1959, 1975 and 1996.
Team News…
This season’s FA Youth Cup is open for players who were born on or after 1 September 2004, and before 1 September 2007.
Head coach Kevin Keen has been able to call on the likes of Divin Mubama, George Earthy, Kaelan Casey and Regan Clayton throughout the run in the competition so far. The four youngsters have been heavily featured in Mark Robson's U21s throughout the course of the season, but each will be hoping to feature in the final after being involved in the previous rounds.
Captain Gideon Kodua and fellow forward Callum Marshall both played alongside Mubama in a three-pronged attack in last eight win at Stoke City, the quarter-final victory at Ipswich Town and the semi-final win over Southampton and Keen may be tempted to go with the trio again.
Marshall is leading the way on goals this season for the U18s, netting 20 in 21 outings, while Kodua has scored 14 this campaign. Mubama has 13 goals in just nine U18s matches this season, while Lewis Orford also has ten goals this campaign for the U18s.
Opposition…
When one looks to define 'success' in an Academy set-up, there are few better examples than the Gunners.
In both youth player development and success on the pitch, Arsenal are one of the leading figures across Academy football.
Just a quick glance at the first team squad at the Emirates Stadium shows the influence of the Academy. Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah are just a couple of the names regularly featuring in Mikel Arteta's band of young, exciting talent that currently sit atop the Premier League table.
Go back through the graduate lists of yesteryear and even more impressive names become apparent. Ashley Cole, Martin Keown, Tony Adams, Wojciech Szczęsny and Cesc Fàbregas - all highly renowned international footballers - head up the best of the best.
Young players coming through the Arsenal Academy will often find themselves involved in title pursuits also. The Gunners have won the FA Youth Cup on seven occasions in their history, with only Manchester United and Chelsea winning more. On top of those medals, the team have also listed six Premier Academy League titles.
Current U18s lead coach - and former Hammers midfielder - Jack Wilshere was involved in the squad for one of those league titles back in 2007. The former England international has returned to north London following the end of his own playing career and is helping to guide the Gunners of tomorrow on their respective journeys towards hopefully emulating him, and breaking into the first team.
Wilshere's first season in charge has seen Arsenal U18s pick up 20 points from 20 games played. Young talent playing up in the U21s has meant a campaign of learning for the young Gunners, who have struggled a little for consistency in league football.
In fact, the north London youngsters have as many wins in U18 Premier League South as they do in the FA Youth Cup. It is in the Cup that the side have truly shined, scoring 16 goals in their five previous rounds on their way to the final.
A 6-0 victory at home to Millwall in December in the third round was followed by away wins against Newcastle and Watford. A last eight match with Cambridge ended 3-2 to Arsenal, before Wilshere's young lads defeated U18 Premier League North leaders Manchester City 2-1 in the semi-finals.
