After a two-week hiatus, West Ham United U18s return to action this Saturday against early pace setters Leicester City.
Although there have been no domestic fixtures, many players have been in the thick of the action over the international break. Five of Lauris Coggin and Zavon Hines’ budding Hammers represented their countries over the last fortnight, including a Young Lions debut for Airidas Golambeckis and a senior debut for Gabriel Caliste with the Mauritius national team.
U18s Assistant Coach Zavon Hines, who himself represented England at youth level, was full of praise for his players who returned from international duty this week.
He said: “It’s a fantastic experience for them - being recognised by their countries at any level is a massive achievement. It shows how dedicated they are and how well we’re progressing as a team. They should be proud, but I’ve reminded them that this is just the beginning.
“This will fill them with lots of confidence. They know that it’s not just us at West Ham who see their potential, their national team coaches do too. That recognition gives them an extra edge, and we’re seeing them show more of their character in camp. We want them to return with even more hunger, drive, and most importantly, humility to keep pushing for improvement.”
So far, Hines and the coaching staff have seen a mixed set of results from their opening three fixtures. Despite playing some great football in their first two league games, they only have one point to show for it. However, a win and clean sheet in their last outing against Nottingham Forest in the U18 Premier League Cup will give West Ham plenty of encouragement going into the weekend’s game against Leicester.
“We think it will be a tough game as always,” Hines continued. “Although it’s still very early on, they are where they are in the league for a reason. In their last game they scored five against Chelsea so they will be looking forward to the match and they will believe they can beat anyone. We’re aware of that. We’ve done our homework and know what their strengths are, but we’re confident in ourselves too.
“In our first game against Arsenal we were unlucky, and at Brighton we played very well too. We believe we should’ve got more out of those games than we did, but that’s part of football and we learn from it.
“We’re looking forward to Leicester. They can play very direct, they have good front players if we give them the opportunity to be. It’s about limiting their chances and making our mark on the game.”
Having worked for the Academy in various coaching capacities since joining in 2019, Hines is fully embracing his new role as Assistant Coach for the U18s alongside Coggin, and is relishing the responsibility of shaping the next generation of West Ham players.
He added: “The start of this season has been great for me personally. It’s been a learning curve, but I’m committed to being the best version of myself for the players, to help them grow and perform on the pitch.
“Overall we’ve got a strong group of players. A few of them are already consistently playing for the U21s. We believe in them and feel like they can go on to have successful careers.”
West Ham travel to Leicester this Saturday for midday where they will resume their U18 Premier League South campaign. A match report, reaction and highlights will be available across the Club’s website and app.
