Preview | U18s aim for back-to-back victories at Reading

Reading U18s v West Ham United U18s
U18 Premier League South, Bearwood Park Training Ground, Saturday 27 September 2025, 11am BST

West Ham United U18s return to Premier League South action this weekend aiming to build on their first league win of the season, as they travel across the capital to face Reading at Bearwood Park Training Ground.

It will be the first meeting between the sides since last season’s Premier League Cup final, where Lauris Coggin’s young Hammers lifted the trophy with a 2-1 victory in front of over 2,000 fans at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

How To Follow…

A report and post-match reaction will be available on the Club’s website and app following the final whistle, with highlights to follow.

U18 Premier League Explained…

The U18 Premier League is divided into two regionalised divisions featuring all 29 Category One academies, 15 in the southern division and 14 in the northern. There are 18 clubs from the Premier League, ten from the Championship and one from League One.

Each team faces each other home and away in their respective divisions. The two regional division champions play in a National Final for the overall U18 Premier League title. The one-off tie is held at a main stadium.

Opposition... 

After a mid table finish and a Premier League Cup final appearance last season, Reading’s current crop of U18s have struggled to get things going this campaign, yet to record a win in their opening six games in all competitions.

That being said, they can take some encouragement from the fact that the last time the two went head to head in the league, just a week before the Premier League Cup final, a Reading side featuring plenty of first-year scholars at the time (and therefore still eligible for this season) took all three points from Little Heath with a 3-1 win thanks to goals from scholars Larry Omoregie and Kallum Fuller-Thompson.

Prior to that cup final rehearsal, West Ham’s previous cohorts of U18s boasted an impressive record over the Royals, coming out on top in each of their previous seven meetings, including a 4-1 victory the last time Lauris Coggin’s young Hammers visited Bearwood Park Training Ground eleven months ago.

Previous Meeting…

But of course, the most recent clash came on the big stage, as Josh Ajala’s brace sealed a memorable 2-1 victory to bring the Premier League Cup to east London for the first time. The triumph saw West Ham join Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United as the only sides to have lifted the trophy.

While most members of that matchday squad have since stepped up to the U21s, 20 players featured across the cup run in total, including several who were U16s at the time and are only now beginning their first season as scholars in Lauris Coggin's side.

Coach's Perspective...

Lead Coach Lauris Coggin reflected on a well-earned first three points of the league campaign last time out at home to Fulham and looks ahead to the upcoming Reading test at Bearwood Park Training Ground.

"We have an open group and it’s natural that when you commit to your work, you evolve as the season progresses. It was pleasing to see how dominant we were for large periods against a good side in Fulham.

"A big part of the boys' development is collecting information and sharing that with others. Last Saturday was an example of them doing this to a good level for 45 minutes, the next step is to do that for the entirety of the game.

"The boys continue to approach every day with enthusiasm. We would like to see a step up in quality in key moments, whether that’s stopping or scoring goals. Ultimately those two traits are what gives you a chance of individual and collective success.

"Reading will be another tough test. We must approach the game with confidence, whilst understanding that our value is always in what we do without the ball."

The Story So Far…

Our U18s will be looking to keep climbing the Premier League South table having earned their first victory last time out, where maiden U18s goals from Joel Kerr and Chuk Obi secured a 2-1 win over Fulham.

In their Premier League Cup title defence, our young Hammers opened their account with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland thanks to an Andre Dike hat-trick.

U18 Premier League South