With the West Ham first team preparing for their next Premier League fixture at home to Southampton, the club’s Development, Academy and Ladies squads are also in action over the coming weekend.
Up first on Saturday morning, U18 manager Steve Potts will be looking to extend his side’s unbeaten run against Tottenham Hotspur U18 at Little Heath. The Hammers opened their Barclays Under 18 Premier League South season with an impressive 3-1 win away at West Bromwich Albion U18 just under a fortnight ago, before a 0-0 stalemate at home against Leicester City U18 last weekend.
This season, the Hammers Academy have seen a wealth of talent move upwards to Nick Haycock’s Development Squad, allowing younger players such as Decarrey Sheriff and Grady Diangana the chance to become U18 regulars.
Last season, Tottenham Hotspur U18 went one step further than the Hammers, reaching the Premier League Play-Off Final, although they suffered the same fate as the Hammers when they came up against Manchester City U18 in the semi-finals.
Kick off at Little Heath is at 11am on Saturday, with parking and admission for the game completely FREE as usual! @tommywathen will be providing live updates throughout the game on his Twitter account throughout the morning.
On Sunday afternoon at 2pm, Julian Dicks’ Ladies squad travel to Somerset to face Keynsham Town Ladies in a League Cup clash. The Hammers came out on top on the opening day away at Queens Park Rangers Ladies thanks to Lindsey Morgan’s header and Kelley Blanchflower’s last minute winner, whilst Keynsham got smashed 12-1 against Charlton Ladies.
Dicks has made quite a few changes since signing up with the Ladies squad during the summer, bringing in a handful of new signings. West Ham have made a double capture from Millwall Lionesses in the shape of goalkeeper Nikita Runnacles and striker Emma Sherwood, along with returning striker Vicky Kinsman, KIKK United midfielder Alma Donohoe and Bristol Academy centre half Ruby Baxter.
The Ladies also have an upcoming home fixture against Spurs planned, which is Dicks’ competitive home debut for the club. The two clubs meet at Aveley FC’s Mill Field on Thursday 4th September at 7:45pm. Admission is £4 for adults and £2 for U16’s, with free parking for fans.
Keep an eye on @westhamladies Twitter account this season for increased match day coverage and also competitions to win signed Julian Dicks programmes and photos.
Also on Sunday afternoon, the Hammers Development Squad will be aiming to achieve their first points of the season when they head north to face Manchester City at 3pm.
Nick Haycock’s side lost their first two games this season against Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, ending up on the wrong end of a 2-1 score line of both occasions.
The Development Squad have taken in a selection of Academy talent this season with U18 captain Kieran Bywater, left back Lewis Page and central midfielder Josh Cullen just a few names for fans to keep an eye out for. Those, along with (what appears to be) first team regular Reece Burke, makes me feel that it won’t be long until they bed in properly to their new team and start securing more positive results.
Kick off at the A J Bell Stadium in Salford is at 3pm with live match coverage likely to be provided by the official website and social media.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday 30th August – West Ham United U18 vs Tottenham U18 (11am)
Sunday 31st August – Keynsham Town Ladies vs West Ham United Ladies (2pm)
Sunday 31st August – Manchester City U21 vs West Ham United Development Squad (3pm)