Preview | U21s looking to Stoke momentum in PL2

West Ham United U21s v Stoke City U21s
Premier League 2, Rush Green Stadium, Friday 31 January 2025, 7pm GMT 

West Ham United U21s play their Premier League 2 game in hand on Friday evening, hosting Stoke City U21s at Rush Green Stadium.

The development side come into this one on the back of consecutive league victories which have lifted them up to seventh in the standings. A further three points would put them level with Brighton & Hove Albion in third, eight points clear of the play-off cut-off point.
 

Tickets...

Tickets can be purchased at the turnstiles, priced at £5 for Adults and £1 for U18s. Season Ticket Holders can attend for free by showing their Season Ticket at the entrance.

Travel...

The postcode for Rush Green Stadium - at 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...

The game will be blogged live, while a live stream of the fixture will be available across the Club’s website and YouTube channel. A match report, highlights and reaction will also follow 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.

Opposition...  

Stoke City U21s have endured a tough start to their Premier League 2 campaign. Following a 2023/24 season where they narrowly missed out on a play-off spot by just two points, the young Potters find themselves bottom, with the worst scoring record.

That being said, their league position is far from indicative of the quality of their academy. This season, the U21s have been missing a handful of players who have excelled in the development side over the last few seasons. Most notably, their England youth internationals - goalkeeper Tommy Simkin and centre-forward Nathan Lowe - have been flying on loan at EFL League Two side Walsall, who currently sit top of the fourth tier. Lowe in particular has been outstanding. The 19-year-old registered 25 goal contributions in 30 games for the Saddlers before being recalled from his loan in January to rejoin Stoke in the Championship.

With several U21s such as Souleymane Sidibé, Jaden Dixon and Emre Tezgel stepping up regularly to senior duties, former captain and development team lead coach Ryan Shawcross has leaned heavily on younger age groups. However, in their last two games, a 2-2 draw against league leaders Manchester City and a convincing 5-1 win away to Reading, some senior players have stepped in for competitive minutes.

Ones To Watch…

At the West Ham United Academy since the age of eight, Kamarai Swyer has been in decent form of late. The 22-year-old has six goal contributions in his last six appearances for the development side. Although Swyer usually plays as a winger and a No10, his hold-up play, technical ability and finishing have seen him be deployed as a lone striker, a role which he has looked comfortable in, scoring the opening goal in the U21s' last game, a 2-1 win away at Leeds United.

After nine months on the sidelines due to a knee injury, FA Youth Cup winner Regan Clayton made his first start for the development side since April in the young Hammers' 2-1 win at Leeds. Clayton picked up where he left off, delivering a number of dangerous crosses from left wing-back during his hour-long stint on the pitch, while he was equally solid in his defensive duties.

Making his development side debut at just 15, Stoke City's Jack Griffiths will be looking to rekindle the form which saw him register seven goal contributions in 16 Premier League 2 appearances for the U21s last season. The 19-year-old playmaker donned the development side's captain's armband for the first time scoring in their 2-2 draw against leaders Manchester City. Griffiths was also on the scoresheet the last time the two sides met at Rush Green Stadium back in January 2024.
 

How Things Stand In Premier League 2...