West Ham United U18s v Southampton U18s
U18 Premier League Cup Group D, Little Heath Training Ground, Saturday 23 November 2024, 11am GMT
West Ham United U18s return to action following the international break against Southampton with a place in the quarter-finals of the U18 Premier League Cup on the line.
In the final group-stage game, it is still all to play for for the top three teams in Group D. Only the top seeded teams and the best second place of the seven groups progress to the knockout stages.
As things stand, Everton lead Group D with four points, edging ahead of West Ham merely on goals scored. The young Toffees face winless Nottingham Forest, and an Everton victory would effectively turn the meeting between the Hammers and the Saints into a must-win for both sides. History suggests that six points are typically required to advance as the best second-place team, meaning only a victory will suffice for either side to avoid a group-stage exit.
U18 Premier League Cup Group D
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GS | GC | Pts |
| 1 | Everton | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| 2 | West Ham United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | Southampton | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
How To Follow…
A report and post-match reaction will be available on the Club’s website and app following the final whistle, with highlights to follow.
Opposition…
Southampton U18s enter Saturday morning’s game with an identical record to West Ham United. In all competitions, both the Saints as well as the Hammers have recorded four wins, five draws and just two defeats.
Such is the parity in their records that the last time the two sides locked horns, just three weeks ago, they were unable to be separated as the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
The share of the spoils at Little Heath was the young Saints’ last outing, which extended their impressive unbeaten run to seven games. Considering the way in which they finished the game, squandering a number of clear chances to steal all three points, Lauris Coggin’s young Hammers will be well aware of the threat posed by their Southampton counterparts.
Ones To Watch...
Since the previous international break in October, West Ham United U18s have certainly found their scoring touch. With 17 goals scored in five games during that period, it has been Elisha Sowunmi who has spearheaded the charge. It is safe to say the 17-year-old attacking midfielder has picked up the goalscoring load, netting eleven times in as many appearances in all competitions this season.
Although Sowunmi has caught the eye through his goalscoring, captain Preston Fearon has been just as influential as a playmaker. After missing most of his first year as a scholar through injury, Fearon has hit the ground running this season. The 17-year-old, who missed the game against Southampton through suspension, set up three of the young Hammers’ four goals in their last Premier League Cup game against Everton, where despite racing into a 4-0 lead, they were pegged back and had to settle for a draw.
For Southampton, Nicholas Oyekunle has been in fine form, scoring in each of his last seven games for the U18s, including an equaliser at Little Heath three weeks ago.
Part of the same age group as Oyekunle, also on the Southampton books since U9s, Josh Pitts caused plenty of headaches for our defence the last time the two sides met earlier this month. Fresh off the back of his first youth international call-up with Malta U18s, where he scored the only goal in a victory over Latvia, the left-sided attacking midfielder will be looking to add to his tally. Three goals in four starts in the U18 Premier League, the 17-year-old has also been in free-scoring form in the cup, netting two in their 6-2 victory over Nottingham Forest.
The Story So Far…
After a relatively slow start to the campaign with just one win in their first six games, the current cohort of West Ham U18s have hit their stride.
Since being edged out by Chelsea earlier in the campaign, Coggin’s young Hammers have gone unbeaten in October and November, surging up the U18 Premier League table and putting themselves in a strong position to qualify for the Premier League Cup knockout stages.
Their last outing in particular will give them plenty of confidence, when they handed table toppers Aston Villa, who were on a five-game winning streak, their first home defeat of the season.
