Reading U18s 2-1 West Ham United U18s
U18 Premier League South, Bearwood Park Training Ground, Saturday 27 September 2025, 11am BST
In the first meeting between the sides since last season’s Premier League Cup final, where Lauris Coggins’ side lifted the trophy with a 2-1 victory, our young Hammers fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat at Bearwood Park Training Ground as a late goal from Raguel Jubilee-Ntege cancelled out Chuk Obi's second-half leveller.
The early exchanges saw both sides engage in physical battle, with plenty of half-chances for both sides, as West Ham enjoyed early spells of possession.
The home side began to dominate the ball, with their quick forwards repeatedly trying to get in behind. However, the Hammers’ defence stood firm, with Callum Leacock and Harry Montague winning numerous duels.
The first big chance came in the 23rd minute as Obi pressed the Reading defence, won the ball back, and drove into the box. His low effort was saved, but it gave the Hammers confidence.
Then in the 38th minute, Martin Peychev did brilliantly to dribble into the box and evade several Reading challenges and set up Obi with another opportunity, but he was unable to get enough power on his attempt.
Minutes later, the deadlock was broken, but for the home side, as Larry Omoregie led a counterattack and played it back to Rabbi Ntege, whose deflected strike looped past Lanre Awesu.
The second-half saw many changes from both teams, and the first chance once again dropped to West Ham after Jephthah Medine, who came on for Andre Dike, who made his U21s debut on Friday against Brighton & Hove Albion, found space down the left flank and delivered a cross to Peychev in the box, but his effort was blocked.
But the Hammers would equalise with 20 minutes to go as Medine got down the left wing, and his cross was cleared into the path of Obi, who volleyed home emphatically.
West Ham continued to apply pressure, and thought they had gone ahead when Aaron Kamara converted Medine’s cut-back, only for the goal to be ruled offside.
Despite the home side’s pace on the break, a fantastic recovery tackle from Leacock in the 80th minute denied Ntege from getting into the box, showing once again the resilience of the defence.
However, with minutes to go, it was heartbreak for our young Hammers as Ntege hit a long-range effort from outside the box, going in off the crossbar.
West Ham will look to bounce back straight away, when they return to Little Heath to face Nottingham Forest in their defence of the Premier League Cup on Saturday 4 October.
West Ham United U18s: Awesu, Perkins (Omotoye 87), Leacock ©, Montague, Scanlon (Unwin 63), Morris-Agyemang, Kamara, Kerr, Dike (Medine 45), Peychev (Beckford 63), Obi
Sub not used: Goodger (GK)
Booked: Scanlon, Leacock, Beckford
Goal: Obi 73
Reading U18s: Chambers-Borgnis, Zie, St. Louis, Booth, Dove, Richard-Irish, Rabbi Ntege, Beacroft (Martin-Grant 60), Omoregie © (Hunte 90) Fuller-Thompson (Covus 60), Jubilee-Ntege
Subs not used: Pullinger (GK), Nour
Booked: St Louis, Dove
Goals: Jubilee-Ntege 39, Ntege 86
Coggin: Embracing challenges will make us stronger
After seeing his side battle back into the game, Lead Coach Lauris Coggin admitted his disappointment at the result, but stressed the importance of learning from the challenges faced against Reading.
“We’re disappointed with the result today. It's one that hurts us because there wasn't too much in the game," said Coggin. “There were moments where we needed to show a little bit more quality in both boxes, which has been a theme for us in recent weeks and was present today, so that's something that we need to overcome.
“Having got ourselves back into the game to concede so late, from relatively nothing, was disappointing.
“We’re a very young group, and every game's a big challenge and a big experience for them.
“We're asking for more voices to embrace those challenges, and as the season goes on, I'm sure those players and us, as a group, will continue to win.”