Crystal Palace U18s 1-4 West Ham United U18s
U18 Premier League South Division, Crystal Palace Training Ground, Tuesday 7 May 2024, 12noon BST
West Ham United U18s secured second place in the U18 Premier League South Division as Josh Ajala hit a superb hat-trick in a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
Ajala’s first of the afternoon curled into the top corner from the edge of the area, before he poked home a second from close range.
He added his third of the game late on after good work from Emeka Adiele.
Finley Marjoram and Dan Rigge were also on the scoresheet as West Ham confirmed a top-two finish regardless of the outcome of the season finale at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
While the May sun left an end-of-season feel about the setting at the Crystal Palace Training Ground, that was certainly not the case for a fixture that was played with real intensity, fight, and quality from the off.
After Rigge’s penalty was saved by Palace stopper Billy Eastwood, West Ham deservedly took the lead through Ajala with 20 minutes played.
Kevin Keen’s side swept forward through Elisha Sowunmi, before the in-form Ajala tricked inside, skipped past his man, and saw his effort kiss the post on its way into the top corner.
A second arrived just six minutes later. Jethro Medine’s cross left Ajala with his easiest finish of the afternoon - a tap-in from five yards.
While West Ham impressed in attack, they were indebted to goalkeeper Finlay Herrick, who kept the two-goal advantage intact with two stops before the break – he dived to his right to deny Matteo Dashi, and then to his left to stop George King from heading home the resulting corner.
Marjoram then curled a Palace response on 54 minutes from 18 yards into the bottom corner, but West Ham fought back impeccably.
After Sowunmi struck the bar with a fierce flash of his left foot, Rigge saw his header on the rebound slip through Eastwood’s palms to restore our two-goal lead.
Then following a neat cross from Adiele in stoppage time, Ajala struck his third to confirm that both the points and the match ball were heading back to east London.
West Ham United U18s: Herrick, Medine, Golambeckis, Briggs, Mayers (Brown 46), Adiele, Akpata ©, Caliste (Fearon 62), Sowunmi (Hailm 80), Ajala, Rigge (Parker 80)
Subs not used: Abraham (GK)
Goals: Ajala 19, 26, 82, Rigge 75
Booked: Brown, Akpata
Coggin praises professional showing in south London
U18s assistant coach Lauris Coggin labelled West Ham’s win as a 'really professional' performance.
He picked out the performances of Emeka Adiele and Jethro Medine, who impressed in both their attacking and defensive duties as wing-backs, as well as Josh Ajala, who took home the match ball.
“I thought it was a mature performance with and without the ball,” Coggin stated.
“We got the goals in the first half and then got our bodies behind the line in the second half to get the win.
“I thought Jethro [Medine] was really good and showed a lot of quality and football intelligence with and without the ball.
“Emeka [Adiele] was also good. He can be electric and time and again he showed that today - we were really pleased with him again.”
On Josh Ajala’s second hat trick of the season, Coggin added: “Josh showed his quality again today and he puts so much effort into training.
“He is a player that is delighted to score goals and we’re all happy to see him do so."
Up Next
West Ham United U18s will conclude their 2023/24 season at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 11 May.
The fixture, played at Little Heath Training Ground, will kick off at 11am.
