Aston Villa were held to a goalless draw by West Ham United in the Under-18 Premier League at Bodymoor Heath on Saturday.
Despite the lack of goals it was an entertaining encounter, with both sides having plenty of chances in the stormy conditions but ultimately unable to find the net.
It was Villa’s first league clean sheet since November and a ending second-place West Ham’s six-game winning run represents a strong platform for the rest of the campaign.
The visitors had the best of the early chances, with Divin Mubama firing over the crossbar before setting up a chance for Regan Clayton minutes later, which was well-saved by Villa goalkeeper James Wright.
He made another good stop soon after and from that moment, the home side began to create some chances of their own with Chisom Afoka going close to opening the scoring.
Early substitute Travis Patterson and Kahrel Reddin then both had efforts go narrowly off target, with the youngsters each producing some excellent footwork to make space for their attempts.
Shortly after half-time, Afoka isolated his marker in the left-hand channel and created space for a cross which bounced off the crossbar and away from danger.
Mubama looked most likely for West Ham and he hit the crossbar at the other end moments later with a curling effort, before Wright produced another crucial save following Junior Robinson’s low ball into the box.
The Villa ‘keeper made one more decisive stop before the final whistle to preserve his clean sheet and earn a valuable point, with Chelsea up next for the Under-18s on Saturday.
