Second place in the league, four wins secured, 12 goals scored and only four goals conceded; it’s not been a bad start to the season for West Ham United’s U18s.
Given that the side began the 2017/18 campaign with six consecutive defeats, everyone at the Academy of Football is delighted with the opening month, and nobody more so than the U18s’ coaching duo Jack Collison and Mark Phillips.
Ex-Hammers midfielder and Wales international Collison stepped up from the U16s during the summer to work alongside Phillips as Steve Potts moved to team-up with Liam Manning and the U23s.
And the former West Ham No10 is enjoying his new role, helped by his squad's brilliant opening four matches.
“It’s been superb so far, for everyone – not just for me,” said the 29-year-old. “Obviously it’s great to get off to a good start. Four wins in four games is never easy and although our end goal is to get players into the U23s and the first team, winning games gives us confidence as individuals and gives them more of an opportunity to go and express themselves.
“The lads aren’t going into games in fear of losing three or four games on the bounce, like perhaps was the case at this stage last season. They have four wins behind them, some good performances in them and hopefully there are plenty more to come.
Four wins in four games is never easy. Winning games gives us confidence and gives the lads more opportunities to express themselves
Jack Collison
“For me, stepping up to work with this team alongside Mark has been great, too. Having Mark’s experience has been vital. I’ve been fortunate in that I know a lot of the boys who have stepped up from the U16s last year, so they’re players I am familiar with and Mark has been in and around that team for years.
“Coming into matchdays, it’s even closer to being men’s football, so the experience I’ve got this year on matchdays has been vital. Getting off to a good start has given us a chance to see the boys coming out their shells has been great.”
Although the pair expressed the importance winning games brings in terms of confidence, Phillips has been pleased with the way the side have applied themselves defensively, building strong foundations at the back, allowing the attacking players to flourish.
“We’ve been happy with how we’re playing going forward, and we’re building from a solid base,” Phillips observed. “Aji Alese is an England youth centre-half and that has shown; he’s been playing alongside a young schoolboy, Jamal Baptiste, who has been learning alongside him and that base has given us a base.
“We can attack from that; our two top scores are in the top three in the league, in Veron Parkes and Bernardo Rosa. We always want to play expansive, attacking football and having that base allows us to go and win games.
Having Jack on board has been brilliant. He has brought fresh ideas and we get on well, which hopefully reflects in our sessions
Mark Phillips
“I think we got off to a good start against Norwich and winning football matches breeds confidence and it has given us momentum. When it was Steve and myself last season, we got off to the opposite start when we lost six in a row.
“You can just tell in training and in games this season now that the lads have confidence. It’s a nice way to be, everyone wants the ball, everyone wants to be involved, and it might not all be about winning football matches at U18 level, it’s about getting players in the 23s, but no coach, no matter who you are, sets out on a Saturday to lose a football match. So it’s nice for the players, the staff and everyone involved.
“Having Jack on board has been brilliant too,” he continued. “Steve and I worked together for a long time, and we enjoyed a great time together. Having Jack come in has brought his fresh ideas though. We get on well and hopefully that reflects our sessions and practices. Maybe ask again when we’ve lost a game!”
While the Academy – and the first team – have a week off competitive football during the international break, the coaching pair have the chance to look at what is ahead.
And while Aston Villa are the U18s’ next opponents, a London derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur – the other club who have won all their U18 games so far this campaign – looms the weekend after, a fixture everybody is looking forward to.
“I remember as a youth team player at West Ham, they’re the ones you look for when the fixtures come out; when do we play Spurs, when do we play Chelsea,” reflected Collison.
“As a young player, you want to test yourselves as the best players. We like the style we’re playing with this season, so it will be good for us to come up against first a strong test against Villa and then that big match against Spurs in a few weeks time.”
Phillips shared similar feelings. He said: “The Spurs game is an exciting one; they’ve done well with their results too, having won all their games. As a player, they’re the games you want to be playing in.
“We don’t stress too much about points but playing in big encounters are what we’re trying to prepare them for, so we’re looking forward to it.”