West Ham United U18s v Tottenham Hotspur U18s
U18 Premier League South, Little Heath, Saturday 18 October 2024, 11am BST
West Ham United U18s return to action following the international break by hosting rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Little Heath.
It has been three weeks since our Under-18s last took to the pitch, in a narrow defeat by Chelsea. The youth team will be back in action for their first match in October with an U18 Premier League South fixture on Saturday morning, seeking their first victory of the 2024/25 campaign.
Despite the young Hammers being unbeaten in their last three fixtures on the road, having drawn all three, they have lost each of their last two home games, each by a single-goal margin. Therefore, Lauris Coggin’s team will be eager to secure that elusive first three-point haul of the season that their performances have merited when they welcome their local rivals to east London this weekend.
How To Follow…
After the final whistle, read a full match report and reaction on whufc.com, plus highlights of all the action from Little Heath.
Opposition…
Tottenham have started the season in fine form with three wins and two draws, which sees them sit third in U18 Premier League South ahead of this fixture.
In their six games, they’ve scored 17 goals but conceded 12. Their opening two games saw them put on emphatic showings with a 6-4 victory over Crystal Palace in a ten-goal thriller before securing a 5-1 win away at Fulham.
These two sides last in May, with Spurs running out 3-2 winners, and the Irons will be looking for revenge on Saturday morning.
Ones to watch...
A number of young Hammers were away on international duty over the past fortnight, with both enjoying success.
Airidas Golambeckis made his England debut for the U18s last month and built on that in October. Sixteen-year-old Golambeckis, who has two goals for the Hammers' U18s this term, continued his goalscoring form, netting his first international strike for England U18s in a 3-1 win over Ukraine U19s at the Banús Football Centre in Marbella.
West Ham's U18s captain Preston Fearon, who signed his first professional deal at the Academy of Football's Chadwell Heath Training Ground earlier this month, has been a crucial presence in midfield for Coggin’s side this season, and will want to show his quality again when Spurs visit Little Heath.
The Story So Far…
Several unfortunate injuries and commitments from last year’s standout performers with the U21s have meant a bit of a reshuffle coming into the 2024/25 season.
In truth, the U18s have not been rewarded with the results their performances have deserved in recent games. After the narrow 3-2 defeat to Chelsea, lead coach Coggin said that his side are “going to beat someone with a heavy scoreline sooner rather than later with our performances," and he will be targeting all three points on Saturday.
Numerous U16s players have been provided the opportunity to play up the age groups and have taken the step up in their stride. Despite being unbeaten away from home, they only have three points to show for their efforts.
With international break behind them, Coggin’s young Hammers will be eager to register their first victory of 2024/25 at the sixth attempt.
