West Ham United U18s have been drawn away from home to Grimsby Town in the third round of the 73rd edition of the FA Youth Cup.
The time, date and location of the clash will be confirmed in due course, but it must be played by Saturday 14 December 2024.
Lauris Coggin's young Hammers entered Friday's third round draw alongside all 43 other Premier League and Championship clubs, Carlisle United, Wrexham, as well as eleven other League One teams, 14 League Two sides and eleven non-league teams due to play their second round fixtures during November.
With the draw initially pitting the Irons against either Grimsby or Salford City, the Mariners confirmed their place in the tie by beating Salford 3-2 in the second round at Blundell Park on Friday night.
West Ham’s current crop of U18s sit sixth in the U18 Premier League South and are enjoying a strong spell of form with just one defeat in ten, a run of games that stretches back to the opening day of the season. In their last outing, they recorded a convincing 3-1 victory away to league leaders Aston Villa, courtesy of an Elisha Sowunmi hat-trick.
The U18s will look to replicate the success of the 2023 group that lifted the famous Youth Cup trophy for the first time since 1999 with a 5-1 win over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in front of 34,127 fans. The following year, West Ham put up a brave title defence, defeating Southampton in the third round on penalties before falling to eventual tournament winners Manchester City in extra-time in round four.
West Ham United are the joint-fourth most successful club in the competition’s history, with four victories (1963, 1981, 1999 and 2023). Only Manchester United (11), Chelsea (9), and Arsenal (7) have lifted the trophy more often.
