West Ham United U21s v Fulham U21s Premier League 2, Rush Green Stadium, Friday 1 November 2024, 7pm GMT
West Ham United U21s continue their Premier League 2 campaign as they host Fulham, coached by former Hammer Hayden Mullins, at Rush Green Stadium.
Both sides have enjoyed strong starts to their development league campaign and sit comfortably within the play-off places on 15 points ahead of Friday evening’s London derby.
The Hammers have not won in four competitions, though, having drawn with Athletic Club in the Premier League International Cup, been defeated at Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanders in PL2 and lost at Cheltenham Town in the EFL Trophy.
After a winless October, therefore, Mark Robson's youngsters will be eager to start November with a return to winning ways on home turf against their cross-London rivals.
Tickets...
Tickets can be purchased at the turnstiles, priced at just £5 for Adults and £1 for Under-18s. London Stadium Season Ticket Holders can attend for free by showing their Season Ticket at the entrance.
Travel...
The postcode for Rush Green Stadium - West Ham United’s first-team training ground - is RM7 0LU. To access the ground via public transport, fans can take a train to Romford station, then board a 5, 103 or 175 bus for the 15-minute ride and get off at the Barton Avenue stop.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
Fans wishing to attend this Premier League 2 fixture by car should note that there is no parking available for spectators at Rush Green Stadium due to onsite construction works.
How To Follow…
A live stream of the fixture will be available across the Club’s website, TikTok, and YouTube channel. A match report, highlights and reaction will also follow shortly after the full-time whistle.
Premier League 2 Explained…
To minimise the impact of relegation on future groups of U21 players, the Premier League introduced a new format to its development phase competition in 2023/24.
Replacing the two-division system, the 26 Category One academies now compete in a single tier with 20 regular-season fixtures before the top 16 seeded teams advance to single-elimination play-offs.
Regular-season fixtures are determined by a draw made according to clubs’ performances over the last three seasons. Each team plays 20 different opponents before the play-offs in May, where they will be drawn against each other based on league positions, with the higher seeded team playing at home. The top 12 are also rewarded with a place in the following season’s Premier League International Cup competition.
Coach’s View…
After a three-week hiatus, it has been all hands to the pump for the young Hammers with three games in seven days, with two away trips to Wolverhampton and Cheltenham preceding Friday's game at home to Fulham.
After hosting Mullins' side, the Irons' attentions will turn to a new competition, the National League Cup, where they will face Essex-based Braintree Town next Tuesday evening.
“We’ve had two demanding away games in the last few days, so we might need to change it up a little bit,” Robson said. “We’ve got another big game away to Braintree early next week so Friday’s game will be an opportunity for us to rotate the squad a little bit and give some of our other boys minutes.”
Opposition…
Despite their third place seeding last season, just four points behind West Ham, Fulham were condemned to a first-round exit in the play-offs by Nottingham Forest. This season, once again, the west London side are flying high in the standings, ahead of Robson’s side on goal difference with a game in hand.
The last time the two met, Fulham took all three points from Rush Green Stadium as they emerged 3-0 winners. And their away form will be cause for concern once again for our young Hammers. Fulham have three wins out of three on the road in the Premier League 2 this season.
Players to watch include Switzerland U21 international attacking midfielder Kristian Šekularac, who has four PL2 goals to his name, and Welsh teenager Callum Osmand, who has scored two and assisted three in five PL2 appearances.
Something will have to give on Friday evening as West Ham U21s have their own perfect home record in the development league, also winning three out of three. With both sides locked together on 15 points and having been knocked out of the Bristol Street Motors, they will be particularly eager to put midweek EFL Trophy defeats behind them and reassert their league form.
The Story So Far…
Since opening their Premier League 2 account with five consecutive wins, West Ham United’s development side are without a win in their last four.
Away defeats to Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen the young Hammers slip to fifth in the standings, but are still only three points off the pace setters.
