Two goals from Josh Ajala and one from Josh Landers saw West Ham’s U18 side secure their place in the U18 Premier League Cup final after a 3-1 win over Derby County.

West Ham took control of the game early and raced into a two goal lead after just 17 minutes. Josh Ajala struck first, before Josh Landers took full advantage of a defensive error from Derby to double the Hammers lead. Derby hit back thanks to a goal from Charles Ebuka and came close to equalising just before half time. An outstanding save from keeper Lanre Awesu kept the Hammers in front and saw them go into half time 2-1 up.

The hosts made a bright start to the second half, but the young Hammers remained in control. West Ham found a third after 75 minutes when Josh Ajala applied the finishing touch to a well worked move driven by Emeka Adiele’s powerful burst forward. Derby hit the crossbar with just a few minutes left to play, but West Ham held firm and sealed their place in the U18 Premier League Cup final where they will be facing Reading.

After the game, U18’s lead coach Lauris Coggin was proud of his players, not only for their performance but for their achievement of reaching a cup final. “I’m really pleased for the boys. I thought the players showed a real level of maturity in difficult moments in the game, which you expect from any semi final.” said Coggin.

The U18’s lead coach added: “In the end, we showed our quality and the moments that really mattered, we were there.”

There has been a lot of success in the Club’s academy in recent years. A number of talents making a name for themselves at various age groups, academy graduates getting first team minutes and loan spells at a good level. There have been plenty of other positives including trophy wins and success in the youth leagues.

Speaking post match, Coggin gave a nod to the rest of the academy. He acknowledged how his side reaching a final is a great achievement for the academy and something the entire academy across the age groups can be proud of: “It’s a massive achievement for everyone. The whole Academy can be proud. I think in these boys’ journeys, so many people played their part.”