West Ham United U21s v Nottingham Forest U21s
Premier League 2, Rush Green Stadium, Monday 18 August 2025, 7pm BST
Following victory at Woking in the National League Cup last Wednesday, West Ham United U21s get things underway in the development Premier League by hosting defending Premier League International Cup champions Nottingham Forest on Monday night.
Mark Robson’s young Hammers impressed in their first outing of the season and will be aiming to carry that momentum into the league, where they have finished in the top four out of 26 Category One academies in each of the last two seasons.
Tickets...
Tickets can be purchased at the turnstiles, priced at £5 for Adults and £1 for U18s. Season Ticket Holders can attend for free by showing their Season Ticket at the entrance.
Travel...
The postcode for Rush Green Stadium - at West Ham United’s first-team training ground - is RM7 0LU.
To access the ground via public transport, fans can take a train to Romford station, then board a 5, 103 or 175 bus for the 15-minute ride and get off at the Barton Avenue stop.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
Fans wishing to attend this Premier League 2 fixture by car should note that there is no parking available for spectators at Rush Green Stadium due to onsite construction works.
How To Follow...
The game will be blogged live, while a live stream of the fixture will be available across the Club’s website and YouTube channel. A match report, highlights and reaction will also follow the full-time whistle.
Opposition…
Since the new post-season rules were introduced in 2023, Nottingham Forest have reached the Premier League 2 play-offs in each of the past two seasons, clinching qualification on the final day both times, falling at the quarter-final and round of 16 stages in 2023/24 and 2024/25, respectively.
Elsewhere in Premier League development competitions, Forest were crowned Premier League International Cup champions in April, overcoming Olympique Lyonnais 2 in the final on penalties.
After a pre-season which included ties against Long Eaton United, Watford U21s, Altrincham and Notts County U19s, Forest’s U21s got things underway in the competitive 2025/26 season against Boreham Wood in the National League Cup, falling to a 2-0 defeat at Meadow Park.
Meetings between West Ham and Forest at U21 level have been rare, just three in the last decade, all won by the young Hammers. Two came during West Ham’s 2016/17 Premier League Cup-winning run, a squad featuring Declan Rice and Reece Oxford. As for the most recent West Ham win, that came in Premier League 2 in 2023/24 thanks to a Patrick Kelly first-half strike and a Callum Marshall brace.
Ones To Watch…
Whether on from the start or coming off the bench, Mohamadou Kanté will be keen to make the same impact as he did on debut.
Following a lively first appearance against Woking in the National League Cup, which saw him involved in the first goal and score the second, lead coach Mark Robson was full of praise for the 19-year-old central midfielder.
“A couple of times when he pressed, he’s got these long legs and he just nicked the ball off people, really clever. He’s like a Patrick Vieira kind of central midfield player.”
For Nottingham Forest, Zach Abbott has been one of their outstanding players from their successful Premier League International Cup campaign.
Since he last faced the young Hammers at Rush Green as a 17-year-old in December 2023, Abbott has made his first-team debut against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final no less, becoming the youngest player to start an FA Cup game at Wembley since Marcus Rashford in 2016.
Signing a new contract in July, which keeps him at his boyhood club until 2029, it’s clear Forest have a long-term plan for their 19-year-old centre-back.
Last Time Out...
West Ham began their competitive season with a 2-0 National League Cup win over Woking last Wednesday. Despite dominating the contest, it looked as if the Cards’ ten men would hold out for a draw, but stoppage-time goals from Lewis Orford and debutant Kanté secured the three points and second place in Group C.
