West Ham United U18s 2-3 Chelsea U18s
U18 Premier League South, Rush Green Stadium, Saturday 28 September 2024, 11am BST
West Ham United U18s fell to a narrow 3-2 Premier League South defeat to Chelsea at Rush Green Stadium on Saturday.
It was a match that fairly fizzled and crackled from the off, swung one way then the other throughout. Striker Josh Ajala gave the hosts a tenth-minute lead, expertly steering home Gabriel Caliste’s low cross from close range.
Chelsea hit back ten minutes later as Sol Gordon latched onto a long ball forward from goalkeeper Hudson Sands and lifted it over Finley Hooper. The Blues edged ahead after the restart when Chizaram Ezenwata netted on 48 minutes, but Mehmet Halim climbed off the bench to seemingly rescue a point for the Hammers with 19 minutes to play.
But Ollie Harrison had the last word for Chelsea on 83 minutes as he struck the decisive blow from the penalty spot to hand the west Londoners three points.
Following a front-foot start, the young Hammers took a deserved lead after ten minutes when, at the end of an incisive move, Caliste twisted and turned Chelsea defender Joseph Wheeler-Henry before laying the ball back to Ajala, who finished elegantly.
West Ham began to take control and almost doubled their lead just two minutes later as Ajala found space outside the box to unleash a stinging right-foot shot, but he was denied by Sands.
Despite their early dominance, it was Chelsea who managed to level against the run of play. A huge, hanging ball wasn’t dealt with by the West Ham defence as it bounced towards the penalty area, and Gordon lobbed over the stranded Hooper to restore parity.
Lauris Coggin’s youthful side showed a positive reaction and responded well to the setback, with Preston Fearon lifting a close range shot over the bar before Ajala missed a glaring one-on-one effort. He raced through on goal after a fine Elisha Sowunmi pass, only to drag his effort just wide of the target.
The final chance of the first 45 fell to the visitors as Wheeler-Henry saw a vicious strike tipped over the bar at full stretch by Hooper at his near post to ensure the sides went in level at the break.
In a different vein to the first period, it was Chelsea who ramped up their intensity at the start of the second half and turned the game on its head after 48 minutes. Leo Cardoso’s powerful drive was parried by Hooper, but only as far as Ezenwata, who tapped home into an empty net.
The visitors had their tails up and went close to extending their advantage after 50 minutes when Frankie Runham’s low effort across goal was tipped around the post by Hooper.
At the other end, just after the hour mark, another gilt-edged chance went begging for the young Hammers. A loose pass in defence from Landon Emenalo allowed Ajala to race through on goal, but the forward was thwarted by Sands.
West Ham were knocking on the door and eventually got their reward in the 71st minute courtesy of a placed effort by substitute Mehmet Halim. Fearon evaded several challenges before finding Halim, and the forward shrugged off his man before rifling a low finish home.
With just over 15 minutes to play and with the game hanging in the balance, the next goal would be hugely significant.
Just as the game looked to be heading for a draw, the Blues were awarded a penalty as Gordon was brought down as he entered the penalty area by Jethro Medine, and the subsequent spot-kick was converted by Ollie Harrison.
The Irons sent bodies forward in search of an equaliser and it almost arrived at the death, but Halim’s stunning acrobatic effort came crashing back off the post, providing the final talking point of a narrow defeat at Rush Green.
West Ham United U18s: Hooper, Medine, Kamara (Hargan 84), Golambeckis, Oyebade, Nwosu (Jonyla 84), Dike (Chigwada 53), Fearon ©, Ajala (Halim 63), Sowunmi, Caliste
Sub not used: Awesu (GK)
Goals: Ajala 10, Halim 71
Booked: Golambeckis, Hooper
Coggin: I thought there were some fantastic performances
West Ham U18s lead coach Lauris Coggin says he is proud of his players, despite suffering defeat by the odd goal in five at the hands of Chelsea.
The U18s remain without a win in Premier League South, but Coggin believes his side are close to turning performances into results after another encouraging display on Saturday.
“I thought there were some fantastic performances from us both individually and as a collective,” Coggins confirmed. “We were on the front foot, aggressive, and controlled the game for large parts, which was really pleasing, but we’re just disappointed we didn’t get what we deserved from the game.
“We spoke to the boys all week about winning small moments [on the pitch], and either through us or unfortunate luck, things didn’t fall for us today. We had a lot of opportunities in the game to go ahead by two goals, and unfortunately we didn’t take those moments. We’ve seen the togetherness, quality and resilience of the group throughout the season, and I think it’s something we can be really proud of.
“We’re going to beat someone with a heavy scoreline sooner rather than later with our performances and what we do on a day-to-day basis. We’ve just got to stick to our principles and continue to work in the way that we have done.”
Up next
West Ham United U18s continue their league campaign against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 19 October.
Kick-off is set for 11am at Little Heath Training Ground.
