West Ham United U18s v Southampton U18s
FA Youth Cup semi-final, London Stadium, Thursday 6 April 2023, 7pm BST
West Ham United U18s are gearing up for a first FA Youth Cup semi-final in 24 years when Southampton U18s visit east London.
The Irons are in outstanding form this season, winning 22 of their 26 matches in all competitions, but head into Thursday's match on the back of a late 4-3 home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion that denied them the U18 Premier League South division title.
In the FA Youth Cup, Kevin Keen's side earned their place in the last four thanks to a quartet of away wins in the previous rounds.
The U18s saw off Sheffield United 3-1 before Christmas, before beating Burnley 1-0 in the fourth round thanks to George Earthy's late strike.
Victory in the last 16 was earned away to Stoke City thanks to a blistering attacking display, with the Hammers running out 4-1 winners, before a frantic and thrilling 4-2 extra-time win away to Ipswich Town in the quarter-finals.
Thursday's tie marks the first time the U18s have been in the semi-finals since the Irons last won the FA Youth Cup, in 1999.
They will face a Southampton side that defeated Preston North End away in the last round.
The young Hammers now have the opportunity to reach the final in front of thousands of West Ham United supporters at London Stadium.
Tickets…
Supporters can still 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 available 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 online ahead of the fixture.
Do not miss your opportunity to come and cheer on the U18s at London Stadium during the Easter holidays!
How to Follow…
Coverage of Thursday's FA Youth Cup match between West Ham United and Southampton will be available via a live blog at whufc.com, starting 75 minutes before kick-off, at 5.45pm.
The match will be available to watch via live stream in the UK on the FA Player. The game will be free to watch but signing up to the platform is required. The game can be viewed here.
Full highlights will be available on Friday morning on the Club’s YouTube channel, on the official West Ham United app, and at whufc.com.
Reaction from head coach Keen and the squad will also be available across Thursday evening and Friday on the Club website.
Our FA Youth Cup history…
West Ham United have won the FA Youth Cup on three occasions since the tournament’s inception.
The first came in the 1962/63 season when the Hammers defeated Liverpool 6-5 across two-legs, before a second trophy was lifted in the 1980-81 campaign after a 2-1 aggregate win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The most recent win came in the 1998/99 season when the young Irons beat Coventry City 9-0 across two legs with a team that contained the likes of Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, captain Izzy Iriekpen and Bertie Brayley.
The Hammers have also been runners-up on four occasions; in 1957, 1959, 1975 and 1996.
Official Programme...
West Ham United's 32-page Official Programme for Thursday's FA Youth Cup semi-final match at London Stadium is on sale now!
A special, one-off programme, commemorating the U18s' journey to the last four and success in the 2022/23 season so far, also highlights the accomplishments of the entire Academy of Football throughout the campaign.
Featuring exclusive interviews and exciting content for fans of all ages, the Official Programme will be available to purchase at London Stadium on Thursday, and can also be ordered online here for just £2 plus £1.70 postage and packaging*.
Team News…
This season’s FA Youth Cup is open for players who were born on or after 1 September 2004, and before 1 September 2007.
Head coach Kevin Keen has been able to call on the likes of Divin Mubama, George Earthy and Regan Clayton throughout the run in the competition so far. The trio have been heavily featured in Mark Robson's U21s throughout the course of the season, but each will be hoping to feature in the semi-final.
Captain Gideon Kodua and fellow forward Callum Marshall both played alongside Mubama in a three-pronged attack in last eight win at Stoke City and quarter-final victory at Ipswich Town, and Keen may be tempted to go with the trio again.
Marshall is leading the way on goals this season for the U18s, netting 19 in 19 outings, while Kodua has scored 12 this campaign. Mubama has ten goals in just eight U18s matches this season, while Lewis Orford also has ten goals this campaign.
One player who will unfortunately miss out is midfielder Tyron Akpata, who is in the middle of a three-match ban after a red card in the 2-0 win at West Bromwich Albion.
Opposition…
Much like West Ham United, Southampton is a club with a longstanding history of developing young prospects into top-tier talent.
Just look at the likes of Alan Shearer, Matthew Le Tissier, Theo Walcott, Luke Shaw, Gareth Bale and current Saints captain James Ward-Prowse. These names, and many more, came through the Southampton youth set-up.
Widely renowned and acclaimed for the ability to grow and produce footballers, Southampton’s Academy has refused to stand still in its quest to continue the development of the first team of tomorrow.
That journey has seen a ‘structural and philosophical overhaul’ of the Academy programme, implemented by Director of Football Matt Crocker in September 2020, which included shifting the U21s into a more traditional 'B' team, allowing the younger squad to mirror the first team’s schedule and philosophy more closely, while also introducing a new coaching strategy.
Rather than the traditional head coach and assistant coach model deployed by most clubs, the Saints have utilised a system of Game Coach and Individual Development Coach in recent years across their Academy.
That change has been well-received and there was an immediate pay-off for Saints' youth team, who finished top of the U18 Premier League South division last season.
With 62 points from 26 matches, the south coast side finished top of the table, four points ahead of the Hammers, but narrowly lost out to Manchester City in the national play-off.
Progression of players into the B team has meant a more challenging 2022/23 season for Southampton U18s. A campaign that has been largely impacted by a slow start has seen the Saints pick up 18 points from 16 matches so far, putting them ninth in the standings.
As for the FA Youth Cup, Southampton have not won the competition in their history, with their closest effort coming in the 2004/05 campaign, when they finished runners-up to Ipswich Town.
The Saints actually defeated the Hammers on their run to the final that season, beating a young West Ham side 4-1 in the quarter-finals with a team that contained the aforementioned Bale and Walcott, as well as Adam Lallana, Nathan Dyer and Leon Best.
The journey to this season’s last four has seen Southampton defeat Coventry City, Aston Villa, Fulham and Preston North End in previous rounds.
