Ipswich Town U18s v West Ham United U18s
FA Youth Cup sixth round, Portman Road, Wednesday 22 February 2023, 7pm GMT
West Ham United U18s are gearing up for a first FA Youth Cup quarter-final in 18 years, away to Ipswich Town.
The Irons are in outstanding form this season, winning 18 of their 21 matches in all competitions, and head into Wednesday's clash after a comprehensive 6-0 win over Norwich City in the U18 Premier League South on Saturday.
In the FA Youth Cup, Kevin Keen's side secured their place in the last eight thanks to a trio of away wins in the previous rounds.
The U18s saw off Sheffield United with a 3-1 scoreline before Christmas, before beating Burnley 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.
West Ham U18s have not reached the semi-finals since the team last won the FA Youth Cup, in 1999, and are preparing to take on an Ipswich Town side that defeated Liverpool at home in the last round.
Read on for all you need to know about the FA Youth Cup quarter-final tie…
Tickets…
Tickets are still available for the U18s' last eight clash at Portman Road. West Ham supporters can now purchase their tickets for this highly-anticipated encounter through Ipswich Town.
Adult tickets cost just £3 while Concessions (under 23s and over 65s) can attend this match for just £1!
Accessible tickets can also be purchased by contacting Ipswich Town directly on 01473 400556. Supporters should note these tickets will be in a different stand and in a mixed home and away area.
BUY YOUR FA YOUTH CUP QUARTER-FINAL TICKETS HERE
Upon completion of purchase, tickets will be sent out via email and PDF direct from Ipswich Town. These can then be scanned at the turnstile on Wednesday evening via a mobile device or printed on A4 paper.
Car parking is available in the NCP car park on Portman Road, which is a short walk across the road from the Cobbold Stand. This car park is pay and display.
How to Follow…
Coverage of Wednesday's FA Youth Cup match between Ipswich Town and West Ham United will be available via a live blog at whufc.com, starting an hour before kick-off at 6pm.
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.
Full highlights will be available on Thursday 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 Wednesday evening and Thursday on the Club website.
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 given the luxury of calling on players such as Divin Mubama, George Earthy and Regan Clayton throughout the run in the competition so far. The trio have been instrumental in Mark Robson's U21s in recent weeks but each will be hoping to feature in the quarter-final.
Captain Gideon Kodua and fellow forward Callum Marshall both played alongside Mubama in a three-pronged attack at Stoke City and Keen may be tempted to go with the trio again, given the goalscoring output versus the Potters.
Marshall is leading the way on goals this season for the U18s, netting 15 in 15 outings, while Kodua has scored ten this campaign. Mubama has eight goals in just six U18s matches this season while Lewis Orford and Favour Fawunmi have netted seven, respectively.
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.
In reaching the quarter-finals, the Irons are in the last eight of the competition for the first time since the 2004/05 season. A win over Ipswich Town would mean progression to the last four for the first time since the 1998/99 season - the year in which West Ham last won the tournament.
Opposition…
Like West Ham United, U18 Professional Development League South side Ipswich Town are relishing their run to the quarter-finals.
A 3-2 win over North side Huddersfield Town kickstarted the Tractor Boys' 2022/23 FA Youth Cup campaign, before an impressive penalty shoot-out victory in the fourth round against a Nottingham Forest team that sit midtable in the U18 Premier League North table.
Another deserved scalp followed for Ipswich in the last 16 as two first-half finishes from Rio Morgan earned the Suffolk youngsters a 2-0 victory over Liverpool.
Those last two wins, played under the lights at Portman Road in front of loyal Ipswich supporters, have the young side dreaming of a place in the last four at West Ham's expense.
The hosts' league form has been slightly inconsistent in recent weeks, leaving Ipswich Town fourth on 23 points in U18 Professional Development League South, but anything can happen over 90 minutes - or, as Ipswich have proved, after 120 minutes and penalties - in a one-off cup clash.
The Hammers and the Tractor Boys have previous in the FA Youth Cup too. The teams last met in a second round fixture in December 1984, with the Hammers winning 2-1. One of the goalscorers that day was a young Kevin Keen, who now leads the U18s from the touchline!
Ipswich did get the better of the Irons across two legs in the 1974/75 FA Youth Cup final to lift the trophy and, like West Ham, have won the competition on three occasions.
Wednesday's winners will be one step closer to adding a fourth.
