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Report: Under-18s extend unbeaten start against West Ham

Albion’s under-18s extended their unbeaten run at the start of the season to eight games, following a 1-1 draw with West Ham United at the Little Heath Sports Centre on Saturday.

By Tom Kelly • 21 October 2019

By Paul Hazlewood
Stefan Vukoje was on target for Albion's under-18s against West Ham.
  • Albion's under 18s draw 1-1 with West Ham United at the Little Heath Sports Centre
  • Stefan Vukoje was on target for Albion
  • Seb Nebyla scored for West Ham
  • The Seagulls remain unbeaten after their opening eight games of the season

Stefan Vukoje’s deflected second-half strike cancelled out Seb Nebyla’s opener to earn Albion a share of the spoils, leaving the Seagulls third in the table with 20 points from eight games.

Mark Beard’s and Mikey Harris’s side made the livelier start to the game, as Jack Leahy tested Hammers goalkeeper Serine Sanneh twice in the opening ten minutes with two early efforts on goal.

Vukoje then came close to breaking the deadlock with 30 minutes played, as he latched onto James Furlong’s cross, but Sanneh saved the resulting shot.

But it was the hosts that took the lead in the 43rd minute through Nebyla, who fired his shot past Roco Rees from a Veron Parkes cross.

The hosts’ lead was wiped out in the 58th minute courtesy of Vukoje. The forward met Odel Offiah’s cross from the right-hand side, and saw his first shot deflect off a West Ham defender, before he took the loose ball past Sanneh and fired home into an empty net.

During the final 30 minutes of the game, both sides threw caution to the wind in an attempt to find a winner.

Albion came closest to snatching a winner ten minutes from time, as Leahy’s cross found striker Ben Wilson, but the latter’s volley sailed over the bar.

Both teams settled for a point each, and continued a very impressive unbeaten start for the under-18s.

ALBION: Rees, Tanimowo, Packham, Cocoracchio (Collyer 71), Clark-Eden (c), Turns, Miller (Furlong 24’), Offiah (Dakkers 16), Wilson, Vukoje, Leahy

SUBS NOT USED: Bull (GK), Lucero.