Lead coach Kevin Keen insists the 2023/24 season is a case of a job well done for West Ham United U18s.
The young Hammers finished second in the league table, while exits in both the Premier League Cup and FA Youth Cup to Manchester City curtailed competitive runs in cup competitions.
Following up the previous campaign’s historic double was always going to be a tall order, but Keen was pleased with how a very young group, made up of mainly first-year Scholars and schoolboys, competed against some of the top sides in the country.
Memorable wins over Southampton and a stunning point away to Arsenal, with an outfield player in goal and ten men too, to book a place in the Premier League Cup knockouts, were among the highlights of another successful season for the young Irons!
In short, there was a lot to be pleased about when Keen sat down to chat all things 2023/24 ahead of the summer break…
It has been a very good season for the U18s.
We had to follow on from last year, which gave this group a bit of extra pressure, but I thought they did so well to finish second. We were a bit unfortunate to draw Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup and Premier League Cup as well, but a lot of individuals have come out of it with a lot of credit and as a team, we have performed well.
It is a huge jump from being a schoolboy to a competitive arena.
It is tough, because so many boys want to be professional, and you’ve got to come in every day and be the best physically and mentally, and try and improve. It’s a hard profession, but I think the first years have grasped what it is about, and they can be successful again next year.
A lot of hard work has gone into this season, and that is down to the players and the coaches as well.
I’d like to thank my coaching team for their work this season, and I think how the group responded to the defeat on opening day at Arsenal was impressive. We went back there a few weeks later and got a really good draw with ten men, and I think that gave the group the belief that they can play at this level.
A lot of those first years have done well!
Ezra [Mayers] won the Dylan Tombides Award and has had a fantastic season. I think Fin Herrick is a massive reason why the U18s finished as high as they did this season, and he also had a month away with England at the U17 World Cup as well. Josh Ajala has come into the Club and adapted so well and scored so many goals, too.
The Southampton game in the FA Youth Cup was one of our best results of the season.
Southampton would have fancied themselves to go and win it with the players they had in their group this year. Three or four of their U18s have made their first-team debuts, and they have a fantastic Academy. So, to get Manchester City after that, who went on to win it, was a tough one!
I think we have a competitive U18 group next year, and yes, that will depend on how many move to the U21s as well.
But I think we can be competitive - even against teams with a bigger budget, we have shown we can compete. There has been lots of success for the first years this year, and they can build on that next season too.
