West Ham United U21s 1-0 Aston Villa U21s
Premier League 2, Rush Green Stadium, Friday 24 October 2025, 7pm BST
West Ham United U21s extended their unbeaten Premier League 2 run to five matches with a well-earned 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Rush Green Stadium, their second clean sheet of the season.
Gabriel Caliste’s first-half strike was enough to claim all three points on a night where Greg Lincoln’s side controlled large spells and created the better openings, climbing up to eighth in the table as a result. Our young Hammers now sit four points clear of the play-off cut-off, with other fixtures still to come across the weekend.
Josh Ajala made his first competitive start of the campaign, returning from injury. Playing left wing, behind striker Josh Landers, most of our best attacking moments from the first half came from his link-up play with Emeka Adiele.
It was an energetic start from the hosts, who pressed high and moved the ball confidently. Ajala, eager to make an early impression, tested Villa goalkeeper Owen Asemota inside 15 minutes after being played in by Ezra Mayers, and then headed narrowly wide from the resulting corner.
West Ham’s attacking intent was soon rewarded. In the 38th minute, Adiele and Ajala combined neatly on the left to beat the press before Adiele whipped a low cross into the area. Villa failed to clear their lines, and Caliste was on hand to guide the loose ball into the bottom corner, continuing the trend of fast starts for Lincoln’s side, who have now scored first in seven of their last eight matches.
The young Hammers almost doubled their advantage before the break as Caliste’s teasing delivery caused chaos in the box, with Landers inches away from turning it home.
Ajala remained lively after the restart, combining again with Adiele to create chances for Caliste and Mohamadou Kanté, while Landers saw a one-on-one effort denied by Asemota midway through the half.
Despite their dominance, the hosts were unable to add a second, and had to withstand late pressure from the visitors.
Tom Wooster was called upon in stoppage time, producing a fine save to push Ben Broggio’s strike wide before Jethro Medine rose highest at the back post to clear a dangerous cross from captain Aidan Borland as Villa chased a late equaliser.
But our young Hammers held firm to see out a well-earned win, securing their first clean sheet of the season in the process.
Lincoln’s side return to action for the third time in seven days when they travel to Swindon Town on Tuesday night where their Vertu Trophy fate will be on the line.
West Ham United U21s: Wooster, Briggs (Oyebade 72), Golambeckis ©, Mayers, Medine, Fearon, Kanté, Adiele, Caliste (Cummings 88), Ajala (Battrum 63), Landers
Subs not used: Byrne (GK), Brown
Goals: Caliste 38
Booked: Wooster
Aston Villa U21s: Asemota, McWilliams, Fortes, Carroll, Ruth, Borland ©, Mulley (Khmer 74), Hemmings, Wilson (Cotcher 54), Jimoh, Broggio
Subs not used: Oakley (GK), Moreland
Booked: Routh, Koné
Lincoln: I was really impressed with the maturity around the team ethic
Academy Head of Coaching and Player Development Greg Lincoln took great pride in how his young side managed the game, playing some positive attacking football, while remaining solid at the back, which saw them claim their second clean sheet in their last three home games.
“I thought we played some excellent attacking football today, creating numerous opportunities,” he reflected. “We deservedly went 1-0 up and, if anything, we could have scored more. That’s the next bit for us, can we put the game to bed? Because it’s always on a bit of a knife edge when you leave it at 1-0. But I thought the boys played some excellent front-foot football and were deserved winners on the night.
“I was really impressed with the maturity around the team ethic, that was everyone, whether they played five minutes or 95 minutes,” he added. “It was a proper collective approach to the clean sheet, with every player doing their job and actioning the learning from recent games.
“We’re starting to see them bridge that gap to senior football, recognising what’s required depending on the stage and state of the game. When we were on top, we kept pushing and increased the intensity. And when we had to suffer, we stuck together. Everybody put in a really good shift tonight.”
