Two very late goals saw the West Ham United U18 lose to 4-3 at home against Brighton & Hove Albion U18s yesterday.

Just a point from Saturday’s fixture would have secured the U18 Premier League South title for the young Hammers, who took a first-half lead thanks to Callum Marshall’s deflected strike.  Gideon Kodua headed in early in the second half for the hosts but Brighton bit back with two quick finishes, courtesy of Bailey Smith and Remeiro Moulton, in a four-minute spell.

The home side thought the win had been secured when Lewis Orford latched onto a Marshall pass to slot home on 87 minutes, but Brighton grabbed their third on 90+2 minutes through substitute Harry Lee’s well-taken finish.  Despite fighting to hold onto the point that would claim the league championship, West Ham would concede again in the final minute as Moulton added a fourth for the Seagulls, inflicting a third league defeat of the season on the U18s.

“We’re all disappointed,” U18s head coach Kevin Keen said. “But we’ve just reminded the players that no one is going to just hand you titles or medals. Football doesn’t work like that.

“I thought we were okay today. We weren’t particularly great but, as we have done all season, we were able to score some goals. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t hang on.”

West Ham plays Southampton U18 in the FA Youth Cup semi-final next Thursday at the London Stadium, and maybe they would have been given hope to see their rivals Saints lose 7-1 to Crystal Palace youngsters on Saturday.

Kevin Keen’s young Hammers will welcome the Saints to east London for the semi-final match on Thursday 6 April 2023, with kick-off set for 7pm.

Supporters can now purchase their tickets for the FA Youth Cup semi-final match here! Season Ticket Holders can buy tickets for just £5, while non-Season Ticket holders can be there for only £7.

Junior tickets are just £1 for Season Ticket Holders, and £3 for non-Season Ticket holders.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW HERE!

Fans should note that no tickets will be purchasable on the gate on the day of the semi-final, meaning the only way to ensure your seat at London Stadium is to get your tickets ahead of the fixture.