Norwich City U18s 1-5 West Ham United U18s
U18 Premier League South Division, Lotus Training Centre, Tuesday 5 March 2024, 1.30pm GMT
West Ham United U18s extended their advantage at the top of the U18 Premier League South Division with an emphatic 5-1 victory at Norwich City.
First-half goals from Dan Rigge and Ryan Battrum put the Hammers in command before Finlay Corke halved the deficit after the restart.
But a second-half double from Elisha Sowunmi, and Battrum’s second goal of the afternoon, capped off a five-star performance from the young Hammers.
Josh Ajala could have had a hat-trick inside the opening 20 minutes but dragged a left-footed shot wide after Rigge’s defence-splitting pass sent him clear, before he had another saved by Henry Bullen, who also foiled him one-on-one.
The well-deserved opener came in the 21st minute when Chinaza Nwosu played an inch-perfect pass into the path of Rigge and he composed himself in the six-yard box before placing his effort beyond Bullen.
Battrum doubled the visitors’ lead three minutes before half-time, as he gathered a short pass from Sowunmi and fired a low shot across the face of goal and into the bottom corner.
Corke reduced the deficit for Norwich in the 52nd minute when he thumped home a header which went in off the underside of the crossbar.
The hosts’ joy was short-lived, however, as the Irons restored their two-goal advantage just eight minutes later. After efforts from Sowunmi and Rayan Oyebade were blocked, Battrum made no mistake at the third attempt, as his low shot flew through a sea of bodies past the unsighted Bullen.
It should have been 4-1 moments later when Ajala latched onto a ball down the right and crossed for Rigge, who fired wide with the goal at his mercy, while up the other end Corke was superbly thwarted by Fin Herrick.
Substitute Andre Dike set up the Hammers’ fourth, as he cut the ball back to Sowunmi and he steered home from close range.
Sowunmi was then denied the chance of a quick-fire hat-trick shortly afterwards, when his powerful effort from inside the box was tipped over at full stretch by Bullen.
And after Tyron Akpata’s deflected effort hit the post, Kevin Keen’s side eventually got their fifth after 85 minutes as two substitutes combined, Jethro Medine squaring the ball for Mehmet Halim and he prodded home to cap a fine display.
West Ham United U18s: Herrick (Abraham 80), Battrum ©, Adiele (Mayers 54), Golambeckis, Oyebade, Trialist, Akpata, Nwosu (Medine 80), Ajala (Dike 70), Rigge (Halim 70), Sowunmi
Goals: Rigge 21, Battrum 42, Sowunmi 60, 74, Halim 85
Coggin praises five-star Hammers
Three points, five goals and our lead extended at the top of the league.
As a result, U18s assistant head coach Lauris Coggin heaped praise on his side after an impressive display in east Anglia.
He said: “We’re really pleased. After a difficult first half, we are pleased with the result. We thought we showed a real desire to be on the front foot and played with real purpose. Coming here is always a tough test, so we’re really pleased with the three points.
“When you come here you know it’s going to be a physical, direct game, so all the players from back to front had to be ready to defend as a team which is something we are improving on every week. Once you get one or two goals ahead it settles the situation and we were able to kick on from there.
“We showed a really good response in the second half, and some of the players showed resilience to put their bodies on the line when needed and showed real efficiency.”
Battrum insists there is more to come
It was yet another positive day for U18s captain Ryan Battrum, who scored the Hammers’ second goal of the afternoon to put them in command.
And despite an outstanding performance, Battrum believes his side can still reach another level for the remainder of the season.
He said: “We’re delighted with it, but to an extent. The scoreline was good, but it didn’t show the way we played and we can be better than that. We were a bit sloppy in the first half, but got told to step it up in the second half and I think we did that.
“If you said at the start of the season we would beat Norwich [City] 5-1 in the league then we would have been absolutely buzzing, but I’ve seen the way the boys train day in day out and know what they are capable of. It’s a real positive that we can win the game despite not being at our best, and it shows that there is a lot more to come.
“I’ve not been playing right wing-back as much this season, so when I am I always try to contribute positively going forward. It was great to get a goal as well and help the team.”
Up Next
Our U18s continue their league campaign away to Aston Villa on Saturday 9 March.
Kick-off is at 12 noon.
