Preview | U18s host Crystal Palace in return to Premier League South action

West Ham United U18s v Crystal Palace U18s
U18 Premier League South, Little Heath Training Ground, Tuesday 14 January 2025, 12noon GMT 

West Ham United U18s return to Premier League South action this Tuesday as they host Crystal Palace at Little Heath Training Ground. It marks the young Hammers’ first league outing since their impressive 3-1 victory over leaders Aston Villa in early November.

While the U18 Premier League North is shaping up as a two-horse race between the two Manchester clubs, the southern division remains tightly contested. With league leaders Aston Villa not in action last weekend, both West Ham and Crystal Palace, currently eighth and seventh respectively, will see Tuesday's game as a big opportunity to close the gap to the top.

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…

West Ham United U18s have enjoyed a strong record against Crystal Palace in recent years, going unbeaten in their last six meetings with the young Eagles, whose last win in this fixture came in 2021.

However, Palace’s current crop will arrive in confident form, having climbed above the Hammers in the standings thanks to a five-game unbeaten streak, albeit with two extra games played over their east-London rivals. Like the Hammers, one of their strengths has been their scoring. The young Eagles have scored 30 goals in 14 games in all competitions, with an impressive 13 different goalscorers.

Ones To Watch... 

When speaking of ones to watch, it’s hard to look past Elisha Sowunmi. In the second year of his scholarship, the 17-year-old has already trebled his goalscoring tally from last season. He has scored 12 goals in 13 appearances in all competitions for the U18s, eight of which came in his last four Premier League South appearances.

At right-back, Jethro Medine has also been a very consistent figure for Lauris Coggin’s side. One of only two players to have played every minute in all 13 of the U18s' fixtures this season, Medine has been equally as impressive going forward as he has in his defensive duties. In their last home game, a 3-1 Premier League Cup win over Southampton, Medine’s eagerness to get forward saw the Hammers take the lead inside 33 seconds, as he set up Josh Ajala who tapped into an empty net. Earlier this month, the 17-year-old put pen to paper on his first professional contract with the Club he has represented since U9s.

For Crystal Palace, winger Jesse Derry has stood out with his contributions in the scoring column. Son of former Palace captain Shaun Derry, Jesse was equally as impressive during his first year as a scholar, registering 22 goal contributions in 22 appearances before his breakthrough season was cut short due to injury. The England youth international has picked up where he left off last season, netting nine times in just eight games for the U18s in the Premier League South, including a brace in his last outing where Palace came from two goals down to beat Chelsea 4-2.

Another highly-rated youngster in the current crop of Crystal Palace U18s is Seb Williams. A tall attacking midfielder with good ball control and positional awareness, Williams has started every league game this season following a 2023/24 campaign in which he played 31 out of a possible 32 fixtures. In his second year as a scholar, the 17-year-old has been given the extra responsibility of captaining Rob Quinn's side. In Palace's last game, Williams scored the first goal in their comeback victory against Chelsea.

The Story So Far…

Since being edged out by Chelsea in September, the U18s have picked up ten points from a possible 12 in the Premier League South, including an impressive 3-1 away victory against league leaders Aston Villa. During that period they also secured qualification to the Premier League Cup quarter-finals, although an early FA Youth Cup exit will leave the young Hammers even more eager to get 2025 off to a good start in their first game since their 1-0 defeat to Grimsby Town at Blundell Park.

U18 Premier League South