West Ham United U18s’ starting XI for this evening’s FA Youth Cup final against Arsenal has been confirmed.
Kevin Keen’s Irons are taking on the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium in their first FA Youth Cup final since 1999, and are seeking to win the prestigious youth competition for the fourth time in West Ham’s history.
The U18s have been in impressive form this season, including in the FA Youth Cup, and lead coach Keen has named the same starting XI from the 6-1 semi-final win over Southampton at the start of April.
Divin Mubama scored a hat-trick that evening in east London while Callum Marshall and captain Gideon Kodua also got on the score sheet, and the trio of forwards are once again all included from the start in the Cup.
Mubama has scored eight goals in four FA Youth Cup appearances so far this season. Marshall has netted three in the tournament and Kodua has scored twice.
Mason Terry continues in goal for the young Hammers while a defensive line of Ollie Scarles, Regan Clayton, Kaelan Casey and Ryan Battrum sit in front of the shot-stopper. Battrum scored West Ham’s vital third goal in extra time in a 4-2 quarter-final away win against Ipswich Town at the end of February.
The starting XI is completed by Lewis Orford, George Earthy and Patrick Kelly. Orford and Earthy have both started every FA Youth Cup match this season for the Irons, while Kelly has played in all but one.
Keen and his coaching staff have a host of difference-makers available from the bench, with Liam Jones among the options after scoring one and assisting two in the 3-1 win away to Leicester City on Saturday.
Divine Mukasa is also named among the substitutes having scored the first goal in our 2-0 win over Arsenal in the league ten days ago.
Favour Fawunmi netted late on in the semi-final victory against Southampton and has scored nine goals in all competitions this season.
Our matchday squad is completed by Finn Herrick, Dan Rigge, Sean Tarima and Josh Briggs.
Arsenal U18s: Cooper, Rosiak, Sousa, Robinson, Walters, Ibrahim (c), Cozier-Duberry, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri, Gower, Benjamin
Subs: Nicols, Rojas-Fedorushchenko (GK), Brown, Kamara, Oulad M'hand, Ferdinand, Kacurri
West Ham United U18s: Terry, Battrum, Scarles, Orford, Clayton, Casey, Kelly, Earthy, Marshall, Kodua (c), Mubama
Subs: Tarima, Herrick (GK), Rigge, Fawunmi, Briggs, Mukasa, Jones
Referee: David Webb