Aston Villa U18s v West Ham United U18s
U18 Premier League South, Bodymoor Heath Training Ground, Saturday 9 November 2024, 12noon GMT
West Ham United U18s travel to the Midlands on Saturday morning, before taking on leaders Aston Villa in U18 Premier League South at midday.
The young Hammers will be seeking to extend their unbeaten run to four league matches and five in all competitions at Bodymoor Heath, but with Villa having won seven and lost just one of their opening nine matches, points could be tough to come by.
That said, Lauris Coggin’s team scored four goals each in wins at home to Tottenham Hotspur and away at Reading, four more in an eight-goal U18 Premier League Cup draw at Everton, then came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to Southampton in the league last weekend, making it 14 scored in the young Irons’ last four competitive matches.
West Ham kick-off the weekend in sixth place in the 13-team table, with two wins, four draws and two defeats from eight games played. A win at Bodymoor Heath would take Coggin’s side as high as third, should results elsewhere go the Londoners’ way.
How To Follow…
After the final whistle, read a full match report and reaction on whufc.com, plus highlights of all the action from Bodymoor Heath.
Opposition…
Recognised as one of the leading Academies in the country, Aston Villa are four-times FA Youth Cup winners, lifting the prestigious trophy in 1972, 1980, 2002 and 2021, when they beat Liverpool.
Villa have historically produced top-class players, too, including former England internationals Gareth Barry, Darius Vassell, Lee Hendrie and Gabriel Agbonlahor, Premier League title winner Marc Albrighton and Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis.
England U21 winger Jaden Philogene returned to the club in the summer, while current Manchester City and England winger Jack Grealish, Everton midfielder Tim Iroegbunam and Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka also came through the ranks at Bodymoor Heath.
Aston Villa’s current U18 head coach is former Jimmy Shan, who previously held a number of Academy and first-team coaching positions at West Bromwich Albion, Kidderminster Harriers and Rochdale, and managed National League club Solihull Moors in 2020/21.
Ones to watch...
For West Ham United, versatile attacker Elisha Sowunmi is in superb form. The 17-year-old has seven goals in eight U18 Premier League South games this season, including a hat-trick in the 4-1 win at Reading in October and one in last weekend’s 2-2 home draw with Southampton. He also assisted Andre Dike’s second-half equaliser against the Saints.
Right winger Dike has three goals and an assist to his name in seven league appearances, including two in the 4-2 home win over Tottenham on 19 October. Midfielder Preston Fearon has also been influential, registering nine assists in all competitions.
For Aston Villa, goals have come from all over the pitch, with nine different players finding the net in as many U18 Premier League South matches.
Star of the show has been 16-year-old attacking midfielder Bradley Burrowes, who has scored six goals in six appearances, adding two assists. Wingers Trai-Varn Mulley and Cole Brannigan have three goals each, while centre-forward Mason Cotcher has contributed three goals and four assists.
Story So Far…
Lauris Coggin’s free-scoring Irons have hit the net in each of the eight league matches they have played in 2024/25, scoring 18 goals overall. However, the Hammers have also conceded in all eight games too, letting in 15 goals in total and meaning that, despite their scoring feats, they have registered two victories, four draws and two defeats to date.
The U18s also hit four first-half goals in an U18 Premier League Cup Group D tie at Everton in late October, only to concede four times themselves to draw 4-4 at Finch Farm Training Ground. Prior to that, the young Hammers defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 in their opening tie in August.
Next up is a home game with a free-scoring Aston Villa side who have won their previous four league matches, netting 12 goals in the process.
Villa’s seven wins and one draw in nine matches have taken them to 22 points, an incredible eight clear of second-place Southampton and 12 ahead of the Hammers.
Saturday’s opponents have also drawn with Wolverhampton Wanderers and defeated Middlesbrough in their opening two U18 Premier League Cup Group E ties.
