Manchester United U21s v West Ham United U21s
Premier League 2 Division 1, J Davidson Stadium, Friday 16 September, 7pm KO
West Ham United U21s return to league action for the first time in almost a fortnight when the young Hammers travel to face Manchester United on Friday evening.
The Irons are on the hunt for their first league win of the 2022/23 campaign after a tricky start to the new season, and come up against a Red Devils side who sit one place above them in the Premier League 2 table.
The Hammers and Manchester United will meet on Friday 16 September at the J Davidson Stadium, with kick-off set for 7pm.
Tickets…
Tickets for general admission are available for Friday’s Premier League 2 match between Manchester United and West Ham United.
Tickets are available for free but must be obtained prior to Friday’s match from Altrincham’s ticket website, which is available here.
The capacity for Friday’s Premier League 2 fixture is capped at 2,000 spectators.
Travel…
Supporters who opt to drive to Friday's fixture are advised that there is very little parking available at the ground itself. The postcode is WA15 8AP.
If travelling to Friday's match from the south, leave the M6 at Junction 19, and take the A556 towards Manchester Airport. At the large roundabout junction with the M56, turn right onto the M56, still heading towards Manchester Airport.
Leave the M56 at Junction 6 and take the A538 towards Hale Barns/Altrincham. After two miles you will pass through the traffic lights that is the junction with the A5144. After these traffic lights take the third right into Westminster Road. Carry straight on down Westminster Road, which becomes Bancroft Road and then Moss Lane. The ground is down on the right.
Supporters utilising trains should note that the ground is about a ten minute walk from Altrincham Railway Station and Interchange. Altrincham Railway Station is served by trains from Manchester Piccadilly and normally takes around 28 minutes. Alternatively, you can also get the Metrolink tram from both Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria mainline stations.
How to follow…
Team news and goal updates will be available on the West Ham United Twitter feed during Friday's fixture. Live match updates, as is happens, will be available through the live blog coverage at whufc.com. Our live blog coverage will begin an hour before kick-off, at 6pm.
Full highlights from the game, as well as reaction from lead coach Mark Robson and the squad, will be available on YouTube and whufc.com on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Team News…
Despite being in the starting XI for the midweek defeat to Sparta Prague, Divin Mubama is in the middle of a three-match domestic suspension and will not be available for Friday’s fixture.
Callum Marshall will be hoping to earn his first Premier League 2 start for the U21s after his first start for the development side in any competition on Tuesday.
Availability will likely depend on if any Academy talent are utilised by first-team manager David Moyes for the UEFA Europa Conference group stage clash away to Silkeborg IF on Thursday evening.
Opposition…
Much like West Ham United, Manchester United boast one of the most impressive Academy records in England.
Dozens of top-class talent have passed through the Trafford Training Centre. The famous ‘Class of ‘92’ cannot go unmentioned while, in more recent times, the likes of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Dean Henderson and Scott McTominay have developed into international level players.
The latest crop of young talent in the U21s will be hoping to match those high levels although, like the Hammers, the Red Devils are without a win in Premier League 2 so far this season. A trio of consecutive draws in the last three matches mean there are, at least, points on the board.
Newly promoted Omari Forson has taken to life in the U21s well in Manchester, scoring three goals and providing one assist in five outings so far, while forward Charlie McNeill has played a role in three goals in six matches this season.
The Red Devils U21s are coached by former youth prospect Mark Dempsey. The retired midfielder was part of Ole Gunnar Solskjær's backroom staff during his time in charge of the Red Devils, Cardiff City and Molde, and took the lead coach role with the development side in the summer.
