West Ham United U18s v Leicester City U18s
U18s Premier League South, Little Heath Training Ground, Saturday 15 February 2025, 12noon GMT
Following their win in the Premier League Cup quarter-finals over Manchester United, West Ham United U18s return to league action taking on Leicester City at Little Heath Training Ground.
Lauris Coggin's side will have taken huge confidence from their penalty shootout victory over the Red Devils at Rush Green last week, and will now hope to turn that into U18 Premier League South points against the Foxes.
The scholars will be seeking to end a three-match winless run in the league on Saturday lunchtime, having come up empty against Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion in recent weeks. Prior to Christmas, however, the young Irons were in good form, going six matches in all competitions unbeaten and defeating Tottenham Hotspur, Reading, Aston Villa and Southampton along the way.
A victory over Leicester on home turf could serve as a catalyst for a strong finish to the 2024/25 campaign.
How To Follow…
A report and post-match reaction will be available on the Club’s website and app following the final whistle on Saturday, with highlights to follow on Sunday afternoon.
Last Time The Two Sides Met...
The two sides last met in September in a 1-1 draw at Leicester City’s Training Ground.
West Ham United U18s top goalscorer Elisha Sowunmi gave the Hammers the lead midway through the second half but a late equaliser from Leicester substitute Josh King salvaged a point for the young Foxes despite going down to ten men.
Opposition…
Since that meeting in September, Leicester City have only won one games in all competitions. Having kept pace with Premier League South leaders Aston Villa with a four-game unbeaten run to start the season, the young Foxes have since gone on to win just one of their next 13 games, falling to 11th in the standings and knocked out of the Premier League Cup and FA Youth Cup.
Somewhat of a transition period for Leicester’s U18s, of the players that started against the young Hammers in September, Olabade Aluko, Louis Page, Jake Evans and Jeremy Monga have all been promoted to the development squad. Fielding more youthful sides as a result, Stephen Kirby’s young Foxes are still adjusting to U18s football.
The Story So Far...
West Ham United U18s currently occupy ninth place in Premier League South,
Although their FA Youth Cup journey ended in the third round, their excellent form in the Premier League Cup earned the young Irons a spot in the semi-finals where they will face Liverpool, Derby County or the winners of the last quarter-final fixture between Everton and Reading.
U18 Premier League South
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Aston Villa | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 25 |
| 2 | Crystal Palace | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 25 |
| 3 | Southampton | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 24 |
| 4 | Fulham | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 22 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 22 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 22 |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 9 | West Ham United | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | -4 | 13 |
| 10 | Reading | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -14 | 13 |
| 11 | Leicester City | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -8 | 12 |
| 12 | Norwich City | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -5 | 10 |
| 13 | West Bromwich Albion | 13 | 1 | 5 | 7 | -16 | 8 |
