Preview | U21s resume National League Cup campaign against last season's finalists Sutton

Sutton United v West Ham United U21s
National League Cup Group C, VBS Community Stadium, Tuesday 21 October 2025, 7pm BST

West Ham United U21s return from the international break to resume their National League Cup campaign on Tuesday evening at last season’s finalists Sutton United.

Following the promotion of U21 Academy coaching staff to Nuno Espírito Santo’s first-team staff and subsequent temporary Academy coaching changes, Head of Coaching and Player Development Greg Lincoln will continue to lead the U21 development squad in the short term, assisted by Academy Transition and Pathways Manager Mark Phillips, U18s coach Zavon Hines, and U18s Goalkeeper coach Chris Lewington. The Club will make further announcements on the Academy coaching structure going forward at the appropriate time.

Under Mark Robson, who has joined Nuno Espírito Santo's first-team coaching staff alongside Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine, our young Hammers narrowly missed out on the knockout stages in the inaugural edition of the competition last season, with two wins and two defeats leaving them a single point short of the quarter-finals.

This time around though, the U21s opened their account with a 2-0 victory at Woking back in August which has put them very much in the running for the top two qualifying spots.

However, with Brighton & Hove Albion U21s and Truro City holding a 100 per cent record with two games played, a victory will be crucial to keep pace with the leaders.

How To Follow…

A live stream of the fixture will be available across the Club’s website. A match report and reaction will also follow shortly after the full-time whistle. Highlights will be available on Wednesday.

Tickets...

Advance online tickets can be purchased on the Sutton United website.

Travel...

The postcode for Gander Green Lane, home of Sutton United, is SM1 2EY. West Sutton station is located right next to the ground, and is served by Southern Rail services, with frequent trains running from central London via Wimbledon and Sutton.

National League Cup Explained…

The competition pits 16 National League clubs - the fifth tier of senior men’s football - against 16 Premier League 2 sides, with the twin aims of giving National League clubs the chance to host the best U21 teams in England in their own stadia, while also offering young players from Premier League and EFL clubs the opportunity to test themselves against senior opposition.

The participants are split into four groups of eight - four from the National League and four from Premier League 2 - with the National League teams hosting a group-stage tie against each of the four Premier League 2 sides in their group.

In terms of format, clubs will be awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. Drawn matches will end in a penalty shoot-out with an extra point for the winners. The top two finishers in each of the four groups will qualify for the quarter-finals.

West Ham have been drawn in Group C alongside National League clubs Woking, Sutton United, Aldershot Town and Truro City, as well as fellow Premier League 2 sides Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham and Southampton.

Opposition…

After three seasons in League Two, Sutton United finished mid table in their first campaign back in the National League, while reaching the final in the first edition of the National League Cup, losing 2-1 to Leeds United U21s.

This season has been a different story. After winning five of their six pre-season fixtures, they sit five points adrift in the Enterprise National League relegation zone. A third of the way through the season and the U’s have only one league win, albeit five draws keep them off the bottom.

Their form in the National League Cup has been no better. Losing their opening two games, the first of which was a 7-0 defeat against Fulham, has left them practically with no hope of progressing to the quarter-finals due their goal difference.

In the FA Cup, they progressed to the first round proper after defeating Farnham Town of the Southern League Premier Division South in a replay. The first game saw Sutton come from behind on three occasions, including a 98th minute equaliser, to set up a reverse tie at Gander Green Lane following a 3-3 draw. Another high scoring affair, the return fixture saw Sutton equalise again late on before snatching a 3-2 victory in the last minute of extra-time.

Previous Meeting...

The two sides last met in our U21s’ final game of the 2024 calendar year, a 2-0 victory for our young Hammers courtesy of goals in either half from Josh Ajala and Junior Robinson.

It was the first game for our Academy following the tragic passing of U14s goalkeeper Oscar Fairs. Oscar was diagnosed with a rare ependymoma brain tumour in August 2023 and, despite receiving surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, passed away with his family at his side on Thursday 12 December. He was just 15 years old.

Before kick-off at Gander Green Lane, Sutton United hosted a minute's silence to honour the memory of our schoolboy goalkeeper. Players from both teams also wore special tops in tribute to the young stopper.

The Story So Far...

Our U21s have lost just one of their last six games in all competitions; form which has seen them climb into the Premier League 2 play-off places and top their Vertu Trophy group after two games.

In the National League Cup, they made the perfect start, beating Woking 2-0 at the Laithwaite Community Stadium on the opening day of the season.

Since then however, Brighton & Hove Albion U21s and Truro City have both recorded back-to-back victories, so a win on Tuesday will be essential to keep pace with the Seagulls and National League newcomers Truro.

National League Cup Group C

Image