Albion 3 West Ham 1: MU18s finish season with back-to-back wins

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Result sees Albion confirm fourth place finish.

Charlie Hanson

2026-05-13T09:00+01:00

Cristiano Anah extended Albion's lead midway through the second half. 📸 by James Boardman.

Our men’s under-18s rounded off their season with a hard-earned 3-1 hone win over West Ham United in Premier League South.

It meant Steven Menzies’ team finish the campaign with 49 points from 28 games - enough to secure fourth spot in the table.

Albion took an early lead following a sustained spell of possession when Zach Brennan tucked home from ten yards.

West Ham responded and deservedly equalised when Chuk Obi tapped in from a cross.

After being denied by the woodwork, Brighton regained the lead just before the half-time whistle with Brennan grabbing his second goal of the game, firing into the top corner from inside the box.

Zach Brennan finished the season with three goals in the final two games of the league season. 📸 by James Boardman.

Albion turned the screw in the 64th minute when substitute Daniel Rudin put Cristiano Anah in on goal, and he fired in at the near post.

Rudin struck the crossbar from 20 yards as he looked to add his name to the scoresheet, but the scoreline remained at 3-1, with Albion finishing the game with two under-15s and two under-14s getting minutes.

Menzies said, “We started the game very well. We moved the ball at the right time and with good detail. We showed good variety to threaten in behind and took the lead with an excellent goal.

“As the half went on they began to look more and more threatening. We defended set pieces well but their wide rotation on the left caused us a problem and it led to us conceding.

Cristiano Anah slotted home to Albion 3-1 up. 📸 by James Boardman.

“Having grabbed our second goal we started well in the second half, having good periods of possession and it felt like we’d get a third, which we did.

“We got younger as all the subs came on and we had a great finish to the game, with the boys showing how much it meant to them with lots of blocks, headers and tackles to defend the goal with everything they had.

“It’s an amazing way to finish the season with two excellent performances and wins. The boys deserve a lot of credit.

“I want to give a special mention to the four younger players that came on in the game. They all showed their personality and had a positive impact.”