Southampton’s Under 18s side will take part in their first FA Youth Cup semi-final since 2005 on Thursday night.
Their U18s will travel to West Ham’s U18s in a clash at the London Stadium on Thursday night, with the winner facing either Arsenal in the final.
It’d be a fantastic achievement for the Saints, if they are able to reach the final, given their 18-year-wait to return to the FA Youth Cup semi-finals.
When looking at that Saints team from 2005, you’ll notice names such as Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Adam Lallana who all featured on the night.
And here, ahead of the semi-final on Thursday, Sportsmail looks at five players from each team to keep an eye out for.
Plenty of players will want to follow in the footsteps of former Southampton star Gareth Bale
WEST HAM
Oliver Scarles
Age: 17
Position: Left back
Nationality: English
Remember the name, Oliver Scarles. The young defender has been a key component of West Ham’s U18 side throughout the season.
Scarles’ talent has been identified at West Ham since his arrival, where he was thrown into the Hammers’ U18 side at just 16-years-old.
Since then, he’s going from strength-to-strength in east London and has made 32 appearances this year – and has three goals and five assists to show for it.
His impressive performances have caught the eye of England’s national team coaches and led to Scarles being called up for their recent games.
The 17-year-old came on for his England U18 debut in their recent 2-1 win over Croatia, before also featuring against Belgium and Switzerland.
Scarles is one of the only players on this list to have made an appearance for his respective first-team, after starting their Europa Conference League clash with FCSB in November.
Oliver Scarles is one of the few West Ham U18 stars to have also featured for the first-team
Lewis Orford
Age: 17
Position: Centre midfield
Nationality: English
West Ham youngster Lewis Orford has been one of the academy’s best performers throughout the season and will be hoping to show his skills on Thursday afternoon.
The 17-year-old, who is life-long Hammers fan, has notched 11 goals and 11 assists in his 25 appearances this campaign – which is a strong showing for a midfielder.
Orford will likely start the match at the London Stadium and prefaced it as a ‘wonderful experience’ for the youngsters.
Speaking to the club website, he said: ‘I’ve never played at the London Stadium before so Thursday will be a big game for me, and for all of us.
‘It’ll be a wonderful experience for all of us and we’re looking forward to it. But we really need to put the work in on the training pitch over the coming days first to make sure we’ve prepared properly.’
Lewis Orford will be hoping to add to his 22 goal contributions against Southampton
Callum Marshall
Age: 18
Position: Striker
Nationality: Northern Ireland
Callum Marshall is, arguably, the most likely player to make an impact in the FA Youth Cup semi-final on Thursday.
The 18-year-old has been prolific in-front of goal for the Hammers’ academy side this year and has contributed 17 goals and five assists from his 28 appearances.
Marshall signed his first professional contract in November, after initially joining on Scholarship terms from NIFL Premiership side Linfield in January.
Speaking at the time, Marshall said: ‘Signing my first professional deal with West Ham United feels really good. Now it’s time for me to push on.
‘I need to keep my foot on the gas and keep going forward. I’m so happy to sign my first professional deal and now I want to try and get back into the U21s team after the World Cup.’
Callum Marshall has been prolific in-front of goal for the Hammers’ Academy side this year
Gideon Kodua
Age: 18
Position: Winger/Striker
Nationality: English
Alongside Marshall will likely be Gideon Kodua, who has shone for West Ham’s academy side this season.
Kodua recently netted in their 4-3 defeat by Brighton’s U18s to take his tally to 10 goals in all competitions this campaign.
It’s a strong showing for the forward, who was just as prolific the season before, as he notched 13 goals in 28 appearances for the side.
Kodua was also handed the armband for West Ham’s last three games in the FA Youth Cup, which means he could likely be captain for the clash with Southampton.
Gideon Kodua lifts the Premier League Next Generation trophy after captaining his side
Asher Falase
Age: 18
Position: Full-back/Central defender
Nationality: English
If you take a look at West Ham U18’s line-ups this season, you’ll quickly realise that Asher Falase is a mainstay within the side.
The defender, who can operate as a full back or as a central defender, has featured in every U18 game this season, bar two.
He’s also played every single minute of their FA Youth Cup campaign so far and even popped up with an assist during their Fifth Round win over Stoke City.
It’s more than likely that Falase will take to the pitch on Thursday afternoon and will be desperately hoping to make a big impression on the fans.
SOUTHAMPTON
Kamari Doyle
Age: 17
Position: Attacking midfielder
Nationality: English
The first Southampton youngster to make into onto our list is their promising, attacking-midfield talent Kamari Doyle.
The 17-year-old recently earned his first call-up to England’s Under 18 side and made his debut during their 2-1 win over Croatia last month.
Doyle’s call-up came amid an impressive run of form for the midfielder, who has scored three goals in their FA Youth Cup campaign this season.
On top of that, the England youngster has five goals and five assists in the Premier League 2 Division 2 – helping them sit second in the table.
Kamari Doyle has regularly featured for England’s U18s after impressing with Southampton
Tyler Dibling
Age: 17
Position: Winger
Nationality: English
Tyler Dibling is not just one of Southampton’s brightest prospects – he is arguably one of the best youth talents in the United Kingdom.
The 17-year-old caught attention after scoring a first-half hat-trick for Southampton’s B team against Newcastle in May 2022, with all three left-footed goals near-identical.
It led to rumoured interest from big-spending Chelsea and Newcastle, who had been reportedly been interested in signing Dibling for £1.5million.
The forward stayed and was under consideration for a place in Southampton’s first-team matchday squad before the end of the last season – but it never came.
He’s continued to build on his successes last year, with five goals from his 21 appearances for the Saints youth sides this year.
Tyler Dibling shot to fame after notching an impressive hat-trick against Newcastle last year
Dominic Ballard
Age: 18
Position: Striker
Nationality: England
Dominic Ballard is another of Southampton’s promising talents that could soon be the talk-of-town at St Mary’s.
The 18-year-old striker has notched an impressive tally of 11 goals and one assist from his 14 appearances in the PL2 this season.
Ballard has been instrumental in Southampton’s run in the FA Youth Cup this term, scoring six goals from four outing in the competition.
His performances in recent months haven’t gone unnoticed by Southampton’s first-team staff and recently-appointed Ruben Selles has already taken a liking to Ballard.
‘Dom wants to be a Premier League player for Southampton. And that’s the kind of spirit that we need and that’s the kind of player that we need,’ Selles told the Daily Echo.
Dominic Ballard (L) has been one of Southampton’s most prolific players through this season
Sonnie Davis
Age: 18
Position: Right back
Nationality: England
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Saints youngster Sonnie Davis is one of the few defenders who makes it onto our list of players to watch out for on Thursday.
The 18-year-old full-back has been a mainstay within the Southampton academy side this campaign and has made 18 appearances in all competitions.
He’s to provide a goal contribution for the Saints this season, but has played every single minute of their FA Youth Cup campaign so far.
And, he has a fun fact! The 18-year-old is actually the son of former Southampton goalkeeper and coach Kelvin Davis.
Sonnie Davies, Southampton U18 full-back, is the son of retired goalkeeper Kelvin Davis
Jayden Meghoma
Age: 16
Position: Left back
Nationality: England
The final Saints starlet to be included on our list of promising talents is highly-rated left-back Jayden Meghoma.
The 16-year-old joined Southampton from Tottenham on an initial scholarship deal in October last year.
Since then, he’s become a vital figure in the Saints U18 side and revealed that he’s thoroughly enjoying his time at St Mary’s.
Meghoma told The Athletic: ‘I think it’s one of the best pathways in the Premier League. There’s a very clear pathway as a youth.
‘I’m a defender but I’m a very attacking one, I feel like I can attack really well, and I can defend really well, and I have a unique trait of my speed as well.’
Jayden Meghoma (right) is known for his impressive pace and silky technique on the ball