Ipswich Town U18s v West Ham United U18s
U18 Premier League South, Playford Road, Saturday 1 November 2025, 11am GMT
West Ham United U18s head to Suffolk on Saturday seeking to make it back-to-back U18 Premier League South victories for the first time this season.
The young Irons take on Ipswich Town having defeated defending champions Aston Villa 2-1 at Little Heath last time out, with Lewis Beckford and Andre Dike finding the net.
Lauris Coggin’s side also defeated Nottingham Forest 2-1 at home in the U18 Premier League Cup in their only other competitive fixture played in October, with Joel Kerr scoring twice, meaning the Hammers will travel up the A12 with rising confidence and belief.
While Kerr will be unavailable this weekend as he is on international duty with Northern Ireland U17s in Cyprus, Coggin has a talented squad at his disposal and will be hopeful of making it three wins in a row against an Ipswich side who have won just one and conceded 26 goals in their eight league matches.
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 EFL 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...
Ipswich Town have a storied Academy history, with legendary Tractor Boys Mick Mills, Kevin Beattie, Russell Osman, George Burley, John Wark, Terry Butcher, Jason Dozzell and Kieron Dyer all coming through the ranks at the Suffolk club.
Coached by former Ipswich defender David Wright, who previously held the same role at Colchester United and Norwich City, and former non-league defender Matt Pooley, Saturday’s hosts recorded their first win of the season with a 3-0 home victory over Birmingham City last weekend.
Ipswich are playing in the U18 Premier League South for the first time, having been awarded Category One status for their Academy in July 2025, and have struggled at times, losing 8-0 at Crystal Palace, 5-0 to West Bromwich Albion and 4-0 at Fulham. However, they moved off the bottom of the table with their victory last time out.
It is perhaps not surprising that Ipswich have taken time to settle at this level, as they finished ninth in the second tier Professional Development League South division last season, conceding 91 goals in 31 league matches.
However, with such an illustrious history of producing fine young players, Ipswich will be determined to make their mark as they grow more accustomed to U18 Premier League South.
Previous Meeting…
West Ham United U18s last met Ipswich Town in the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals in February 2023.
Kevin Keen’s side were given a stern test at Portman Road, where Ipswich pushed the Hammers all the way before the east Londoners ran out 4-2 winners in extra-time.
Finley Barbrook headed Ipswich in front early on before the home side were reduced to ten men when Calum Logan was sent-off for a challenge on George Earthy. Captain Gideon Kodua levelled with a header before half-time, but the hosts went back in front midway through the second half through Nico Valentine’s powerful shot.
West Ham forced extra-time through Callum Marshall’s goal before substitute Ryan Battrum and Divin Mubama scored in the extra half-hour to send the Irons through to face Southampton in the last four.
The Story So Far…
As mentioned in the introduction, the U18s have won their previous two matches in all competitions.
Prior to that, the young Hammers struggled for consistent results in the league, losing four of their opening six U18 Premier League South fixtures.
Lauris Coggin’s side remain unbeaten in their defence of the U18 Premier League Cup they won last season, defeating Sunderland and Nottingham Forest to go top of Group E. Incidentally, Ipswich Town are also their third group-stage opponents, with West Ham returning to Playford Road to face the Tractor Boys on Saturday 22 November.
Before then, Coggin and his players will be eager to make it three wins in a row this Saturday lunchtime.
To view the full U18 Premier League South table, click HERE.
