Ebbsfleet United v West Ham United U21
Pre-season Match, Kuflink Stadium, Tuesday 15 July 2025, 7pm BST
West Ham United’s development team make a quick return to action at Ebbsfleet United on Tuesday evening.
As he was at Worthing on Saturday, Lead Coach Mark Robson will again be without 12 players eligible to play U21 football at the Kuflink Stadium, as they are with Head Coach Graham Potter’s first-team squad in southern Germany this week.
Ebbsfleet will compete in National League South in 2025/26, having been relegated from the National League last season.
Tickets…
West Ham United supporters can purchase tickets for the game, priced at £12 for Adults, £8 for Concessions, £7 for Young Adults, £5 for Under-16s and £1 for Under-12s HERE.
For Accessible/Wheelchair ticket and parking information, click HERE.
Travel…
The Kuflink Stadium is situated on Stonebridge Road, Northfleet, Kent, DA11 9GN.
Parking is limited in the streets surrounding the stadium, with ‘Clearway’ restrictions in place on Thamesway, so travelling supporters are urged to use Car Park C at Ebbsfleet International Station, which is just over five minutes’ walk from the ground.
Should you travel by train, Northfleet railway station is a short walk from the stadium and served by direct trains from London Blackfriars and London Charing Cross. These stop at Abbey Wood, which is on the Elizabeth line.
How To Follow…
A live blog will be available across the Club’s website and app. A match report and reaction will follow after the full-time whistle.
Opposition…
Tuesday’s hosts were originally formed as Gravesend & Northfleet FC in 1946 following a merger of Gravesend United and Northfleet United, and elected to the Southern League.
The new club did well initially, particularly in the FA Cup, reaching the first round proper in 1947 and 1950, and winning the Kent Senior Cup in 1949 and 1953, before winning the Southern League title in 1958.
In the early 1960s, the club’s application to join the Football League was twice rejected and they suffered relegation, but showed their potential in the FA Cup by reaching the fourth round proper in 1963.
The early 1970s saw the Fleet promoted, relegated and promoted again before they were selected for the new national Alliance Premier League in 1979, only to be relegated again in 1982.
Financial issues in the 1980s were resolved by a local cement manufacturer before the club faced Premier League Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round in 1996, then won promotion to the fifth-tier Football Conference in 2002.
In 2008, website community MyFootballClub bought the club, giving fans a say in major decisions, and the Fleet won the FA Trophy and Kent Senior Cup months later, only for a drop in membership and budget to lead to relegation in 2010. However, the Fleet bounced back immediately under long-serving manager Liam Daish to win promotion the following season.
Further financial issues resurfaced, though, and the club were both relegated and sold to Kuwaiti investors in May 2013. A series of promotion near-misses ensued before the Fleet defeated Chelmsford City in the play-offs to go up again in 2017, then achieved a club-record sixth-place National League finish in 2018.
Relegation in 2020 was followed by promotion in 2023 and, finally, another relegation at the end of a 2024/25 season that yielded just three wins in 46 National League matches.
Ones To Watch…
Tyron Akpata captained the young Hammers at Worthing on Saturday. Having joined West Ham as an U15, Dagenham-born Akpata signed his first professional contract with the Club in July 2024. In between, he became a full-time scholar in 2022 and captained the U18s in 2023/24. The energetic 18-year-old made more appearances for Mark Robson's development team than any other player last season.
It has been a summer of change for Ebbsfleet United following relegation from the National League, with a number of players arriving and departing. Among those to join was former Gillingham defender and captain Max Ehmer. The 33-year-old played over 400 games for the Kent club, having also turned out for Queens Park Rangers, Yeovil Town, Preston North End, Stevenage, Carlisle United and Bristol Rovers. Former Academy of Football youngsters George Moncur and Lennon Peake are also part of the Fleet’s squad.
The Story So Far…
This will be the development team’s second pre-season match ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League 2 campaign, which will start in mid-August.
Robson talked of the need to provide his players with stern tests in pre-season, with Tuesday’s game being the second of five against senior opposition.
National League South side Worthing proved too strong on Saturday, when former Hammer Brad Dolaghan’s hat-trick secured a 4-1 win for the Sussex team. Ryan Battrum was on target for the Hammers.
Ebbsfleet have played two pre-season matches, losing 4-3 at Gravesend-based Punjab United and drawing 0-0 at Essex club Aveley on Saturday.
