West Ham United U18s 2-1 Aston Villa U18s
U18 Premier League South, Little Heath Training Ground, Saturday 18 October 2025, 12.30pm BST
After beating Nottingham Forest in the Premier League Cup a fortnight ago, West Ham United U18s returned with a win by defeating last season’s U18 Premier League champions Aston Villa with goals from Lewis Beckford and a superb curling strike from Andre Dike.
The first chance of the game fell to West Ham after some excellent build-up play from the back, with Finley Hooper breaking the lines. The ball progressed down the left flank and eventually found Beckford, who set up Dike, but his low shot from inside the box was well saved.
After 13 minutes, the home side continued to show their attacking intent. Joel Kerr caused problems down the left wing, driving into the box with purpose, but his shot was blocked.
Aston Villa’s first major opportunity came through Cole Ramsey, brother of Jacob and Aaron Ramsey, who broke down the left with some tricky footwork, but his shot was comfortably saved by Hooper.
Lauris Coggin’s side kept the pressure on, with Kerr proving to be a constant outlet. After a quick Villa free-kick was intercepted by Jonathan Unwin, the Northern Ireland U17 international was set up again, only for his effort to be blocked once more.
It felt only a matter of time before the home side found the breakthrough, and after 37 minutes they did exactly that, once again attacking down the left. Joe Scanlon, who had been drifting into midfield throughout, drove to the byline on this occasion and picked out Beckford. He showed great composure in the box to slot home and make it 1–0.
The early stages of the second half saw Aston Villa apply pressure, trying to get in behind the defence, but the young Hammers stood firm and defended resolutely, catching their forwards offside numerous times.
Despite that spell, Chuk Obi came close twice to doubling the lead as the home side threatened from set pieces. His first chance came in the 56th minute when a corner was not cleared properly, with the ball falling to him to curl just over the bar. Moments later, he came even closer when Kerr’s delivery was flicked on and found him again, but his header was cleared off the line.
The pressure finally told as West Ham doubled their lead after 64 minutes with a moment of brilliance from Dike. Beckford turned provider, carrying the ball down the right and finding Dike, who cut inside onto his left foot before curling a stunning effort into the top corner.
After several substitutions to refresh the team, Tyrone Omotoye almost made an instant impact when Kerr’s hold-up play found him inside the box, but his effort was saved by the Villa goalkeeper.
U16s centre-back Emmanuel Onyeka-Fejokwu, also came close to adding a third in his first start for the U18s, meeting Dike’s low cross, but his shot drifted over the bar.
With only minutes remaining, Villa pulled one back after a long ball was missed by Hooper, allowing substitute Heaven Kilwa to score into an empty net.
Kilwa had one final chance in stoppage time after cutting inside the box, but his effort went wide, sealing a hard-fought and impressive three points for the young Hammers.
Our next league fixture is away to Ipswich Town on 1 November at the Ipswich Town Training Centre, where Coggin’s side will look to continue their excellent run of form.
West Ham United U18s: Hooper ©, Perkins, Onyeka-Fejokwu, Montague, Scanlon (Jonyla 64), Morris, Dike, Unwin (Peychev 73), Obi (Omotoye 73), Beckford, Kerr
Subs not used: Ayesta (GK), Medine
Goals: Beckford 37, Dike 64
Booked: Chuck Obi, Kerr
Aston Villa U18s: Oakley, Atkins (Pinell 73), Bernard, Addey, Wilson ©, Melhuish (Green 53), Hayward, Boyd, Adediran (Lloyd 73), Ramsey (Kilwa 73), Bindey
Subs not used: Houston (GK)
Goals: Kilwa 85
Coggin: We want to build a winning mentality and make it a habit
After two wins in a row in all competitions, lead coach Lauris Coggin was pleased with his side’s performance, despite allowing the visitors back into the game.
He said: “I thought we started the game really well. Controlled the game with and without the ball. Some positive performances and created a decent amount of chances.
“I'd like to see more quality in our final actions to really assert ourselves, especially in the first half, and make the game clear. We leave the door open in the second half, and it becomes nervy in the last 10 minutes, I think that's more on us rather than the opponent.”
He was also proud of the defensive resilience shown by the side, particularly after numerous changes, with Onyeka-Fejokwu starting his first game, saying: “The nature of the age group is that we change personnel most weeks. Another back line in today.
“Really pleased with the three points and what they gave. Emmanuel coming in as an U16 as well, his first start and it was fantastic for him. We want to make winning a habit and build on that mentality.”
Coggin also added that he was happy with how the team adapted to tactical changes, such as when Scanlon drifted into midfield to aid the team’s progression, saying: “We want to be flexible and give the players what we think they need moving forward.
“The game in this country is changing constantly, so we need to try and be ahead of that phase, and Joe's position and what he's done throughout the season is an example of that.”