West Ham United U18s v Brighton & Hove Albion U18s
U18s Premier League South, Little Heath Training Ground, Saturday 1 February 2025, 11am GMT
West Ham United U18s return to Premier League South action on Saturday, hosting Brighton & Hove Albion at Little Heath Training Ground. The two teams last met in August in a 1-1 draw at the AMEX Elite Performance Centre.
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…
Brighton & Hove Albion U18s made a strong start to the season, keeping pace with league leaders Aston Villa and going unbeaten in their first seven matches. However, since a 1-1 draw with Norwich City in October, the Seagulls have struggled for form, collecting just three points from their last five league games and exiting both the FA Youth Cup and Premier League Cup.
Their recent dip in results comes amid a period of transition, following the departure of lead coach Iñigo Calderón, who took charge of EFL League One outfit Bristol Rovers in December. Calderón had been at the helm of Brighton’s U18s since returning to the club - where he played from 2010 to 2016 - at the start of last season.
When the two sides met earlier in the campaign, Brighton led for over an hour through a first-half goal from captain Joe Belmont. However, West Ham responded late on, with Airidas Golambeckis scoring an equaliser after being set up by U16s left-back Joe Scanlon on his competitive U18s debut.
Ones To Watch...
First-year scholar Aaron Kamara has taken on an increasingly influential role within Lauris Coggin’s U18s side this season. Making his debut just before his 16th birthday last season in the young Hammers’ 4-3 win over Fulham, Kamara has started all but two of West Ham’s league games. A versatile athletic player with great defensive instinct, the 17-year-old has played in a range of different positions across the backline and midfield, and he could be set for his seventh consecutive 90-minute league outing on Saturday.
Depending on which side of the defence Kamara is deployed in, he might have to deal with fellow first-year scholar Tyler Silsby. Last season, in just his second substitute appearance for Brighton's U18s as an U16, he came off the bench to score twice and assist another in just six second-half minutes against league leaders Aston Villa. This season, the England youth international winger has continued to impress, finding the back of the net five times in nine league games for Albion including one in their last game, a 4-3 defeat against Chelsea.
The Story So Far...
West Ham United U18s currently occupy ninth place in Premier League South, 12 points adrift of leaders Aston Villa.
Although their FA Youth Cup journey ended in the third round, their excellent form in the Premier League Cup earned them a spot in the quarter-finals where they will host Manchester United at Rush Green Stadium on Tuesday, which will be live streamed on the West Ham United YouTube channel.
U18 Premier League South
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Aston Villa | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 25 |
| 2 | Crystal Palace | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 23 |
| 3 | Southampton | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 20 |
| 4 | Fulham | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 19 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| 9 | West Ham United | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -2 | 13 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -4 | 12 |
| 11 | Norwich City | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -4 | 10 |
| 12 | Reading | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -16 | 9 |
| 13 | West Bromwich Albion | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -15 | 8 |
