West Ham United U18s 3-0 Fulham U18s
U18 Premier League South, Little Heath, Saturday 19 August 2023, 11am BST
West Ham United U18s secured their first U18 Premier League South victory of the season on Saturday morning after a dominant 3-0 victory over Fulham.
The Hammers were a constant threat right from the start and both Favour Fawunmi and Jerry Umolu forced Dino Kaiser into impressive saves in the opening exchanges.
After a dominant start, Kevin Keen’s youthful side were eventually rewarded with ten minutes remaining in the first half.
Umolu demonstrated his composure, tucking a penalty kick into the bottom left corner after a mistimed challenge on Fawunmi.
Ryan Battrum then powerfully headed the ball across the goal and into the far corner to give the hosts a two-goal lead before the interval.
The Irons continued to dominate after the break, with Fawunmi and Blaise Uwandji striking narrowly wide before the visitors conceded a second penalty.
Joshua Ajala then stepped up and whipped the ball into the bottom left corner to round off an excellent and victorious day for the young Hammers.
West Ham United U18s: Herrick, Battrum, Briggs, Mayers, Adeile (Jones 68), Medine (Caliste 73), Akpata, Fearon, Fawunmi, Uwandji (Sowunmi 73), Umulo (Ajala 64)
Subs not used: Abraham (GK)
Goals: Umulo 35 (pen), Battrum 42, Ajala 81 (pen)
Booked: Umulo, Fearon, Ajala
Coggin pleased by response in first home fixture
Three points, three goals, and a clean sheet saw the U18s bounce back emphatically after a defeat to Arsenal last time out.
As a result, U18s assistant coach Lauris Coggin was full of praise for his side after an impressive display.
“We’re really pleased,” Coggin began. “The boys have put in so much effort since pre-season. They showed enthusiasm, energy and quality. We were especially pleased with the way that we started the match.
"We made plans and had expectations and the players put all of that into place today.”
Whilst the Hammers were a constant threat throughout the match and showed their quality in front of goal, Coggin was pleased to see his side perform positively at the other end of the pitch too.
The Irons worked superbly as a unit and neutralised the Fulham attack to preserve their first clean sheet of the campaign.
He continued: “Keeping a clean sheet was important and I think that we showed a real togetherness. It’s only our second game of the season so tiredness can creep in and also a lack of focus.
“That didn’t happen to us. The lads stuck together and defended well to keep a clean sheet. I thought that Fin Herrick was excellent in goal today too.”
A captain's performance from Battrum
It was a positive day for U18s captain Ryan Battrum who secured his first goal of the season after 42 minutes, powering a header into the back of the net to double the Hammers’ lead.
After a positive performance, Battrum is determined for the Irons to maintain the high levels set during the 3-0 victory.
“We are all buzzing after that,” Battrum smiled. “We didn’t have the greatest preseason and there were a few disappointing performances. But we have been building up to the level that we showed today.
“We know that we can play as well as we did today and training has been really good. It has been all about executing our plans in the match and we did that today.
“It was good to get a goal from a set-piece because we have done a lot of work on it with Dan Hill. We all have different roles and to be honest I tried to head the ball back across but it ended up it the net so I’m pleased about that!”
For Battrum, it was important for the young side to get their U18 Premier League South campaign up and running.
And the U18s captain is determined to support his young teammates transitioning from U16s football to U18s football.
“It is important for us to help the younger lads because we have been in their position. It can be a little bit tough sometimes and I will do my best as captain to help them out. I know that Tyron Akpata is the same.
“We want to help them and give them advice. It’s all about improving as a team.”
Up Next
West Ham United U18s face Aston Villa in their next U18 Premier League South fixture on Saturday 16 September.
The fixture is scheduled to kick-off at 12pm at Little Heath.
