Reading v West Ham United U21s
EFL Trophy Southern Group D, Select Car Leasing Stadium, Tuesday 30 September 2025, 7pm BST
West Ham United U21s return to Vertu Trophy action on Tuesday evening, travelling to the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the third time in 12 months to face Reading.
With a plus-four goal difference and three points on the board, a win on Tuesday evening would go a long way towards securing their passage to the round of 32 for the second time in three seasons.
Drawn in Southern Group D, the young Hammers will conclude the group stage at Swindon Town on Tuesday 28 October.
How To Follow…
Tuesday’s fixture will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ and therefore will not be streamed on the Club’s YouTube channel.
Supporters can instead keep up with events via a live blog on the Club’s website and app, with a match report and post-match reaction to follow the final whistle. Highlights will be available on Wednesday.
Tickets...
General admission tickets are available in the West Stand, priced at £10 for Adults, £7 for Over-65s and U24s, £5 for U17s and £1 for U13s.
Tickets are available to purchase on the Reading website HERE.
Travel...
The postcode for Reading's Select Car Leasing Stadium is RG2 0FL.
By car, supporters arriving from Junction 11 of the M4 can follow signs towards Reading. The Select Car Leasing Stadium is on the left-hand side after less than a mile.
By rail, the nearest train station is the Reading Green Park station, approximately a 15-minute walk from the stadium.
The alternative railway station is Reading. From there, supporters can take the 50A Greenwave Park & Ride bus that takes you directly to the stadium. Taxis are also available and cost approximately £10.
Vertu Trophy Explained...
The Vertu Trophy brings together clubs from League One and League Two alongside 16 Category One Academies, including our U21s.
The 64 competing teams are divided into 16 regional groups of four. Clubs earn three points for a win and one for a draw, with a penalty shootout held after 90 minutes in the event of a stalemate to determine the winner of an extra point.
The top two teams in each group qualify for the knockout rounds, which remain regionalised until the quarter-finals. All ties are settled on the night via penalties if necessary, with only the Wembley final going to extra time.
Opposition...
Reading, led by former U21s coach Noel Hunt, have struggled for early-season form, earning just two wins in their opening nine League One games which sees them hovering in and around the relegation places.
In the Vertu Trophy, Reading fell to a 3-2 defeat at Ian Holloway’s Swindon Town on 2 September. The first encounter between the teams since 2002, more than 1,000 travelling Reading supporters made up a third of the attendance at Swindon's County Ground.
In that game, the Royals, including substitutes, handed minutes to nine members of their U21s squad. Ahead of Tuesday’s game, Reading boss Hunt hinted at that once again with the likes of Shay Spencer, Tyler Sackey and Sean Patton ‘knocking on the door for minutes’.
Previous Meeting...
Our U21s faced off against Reading’s senior side in their EFL Trophy opener last season, in August 2024.
Reading took a two-goal lead in the first half thanks to strikes from Jayden Wareham and Kelvin Abrefa, before an own-goal off a Junior Robinson cross put the young Hammers back in it before the break.
Five minutes from time, Reading academy substitutes Ashqar Ahmed and Sackey combined to secure a 3-1 victory for the Royals.
Many of our current U21s squad, transitioning from the U18s last season, will be making their third trip to the Select Car Leasing Stadium in eight months, having been part of the squad that beat Reading U21s 3-0 in Premier League 2 before a 2-1 win in the U18 Premier League Cup final.
How Things Stand In Group D...
Our young Hammers opened their EFL Trophy account for 2025/26 upon their return from the international break with a 5-1 win at MK Dons on 16 September. Preston Fearon’s first goals at U21s level, an own-goal and a Callum Marshall brace put Mark Robson’s men in the driving seat after matchday one.
Our U21s’ joint-biggest ever EFL Trophy win means they sit top of the group on goal difference. Swindon Town are also on three points after their 3-2 victory over Reading earlier this month.
Vertu Trophy Southern Group D...
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | West Ham United | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | Swindon Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Reading | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | Milton Keynes Dons | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 0 |
The Story So Far...
Our U21s are unbeaten in four games in all competitions.
They got their season underway against senior opposition in the National League Cup, opening their account with a 2-0 victory over Woking courtesy of goals from Lewis Orford, now on loan at Stevenage, and Mohamadou Kanté.
In Premier League 2, a competition our U21s have finished inside the top four in in each of the past two seasons in the 26-team division (expanded to 29 this year with the addition of Ipswich Town, Birmingham City and Burnley), Mark Robson's side faced tough early assignments against reigning champions Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, the holders of the Premier League International Cup.
After narrow defeats, they bounced back with wins over Sunderland, Birmingham City and a 3-3 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as their 5-1 Vertu Trophy victory at MK Dons.
