Ipswich 2-8 West Ham United<\/a>.<\/p>\n A seldom-seen result, and an equally rare feat achieved by one of Coggin\u2019s baby-faced talents. <\/p>\n It has been a proud few weeks for the club\u2019s Under-18 coach. Ezra Mayers signed professional terms with West Ham<\/a> in late-October. Another of their brightest young up-and-comers, Preston Fearon, credited Coggin with helping him rise through the ranks in East London while putting pen to paper himself.<\/p>\n It remains to be seen whether Isaac Thomas ends up making a similar splash at Under-21 level, a la Mayers, Fearon, Josh Ajala and Airidas Golambeckis.<\/p>\n But after four goals in one bizarre East Anglian afternoon, 16-year-old Thomas suddenly looks like a name to keep very close tabs on as Coggin\u2019s latest crop progress.<\/p>\n This, remarkably, was Thomas\u2019 debut for the West Ham Under-18s. As first impressions go, this is right up there.<\/p>\n The Wales youth international put the Hammers ahead soon after kick-off with a backpost header from a Jethro Medine free-kick. He converted another header on the back of a glorious Andre Dike curler. <\/p>\n Thomas made it a hat-trick of headers in the second-half, and still had time to turn a treble into a quartet when he converted Joe Scanlon\u2019s cross with his foot at the death.<\/p>\n As emphasised by the number four on his back, though, Thomas is anything but a natural-born striker. Four goals in one game from a number nine would be impressive enough. From a centre-half, though, this is not something you see every day.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it speaks to the depth of quality that we\u2019ve got within the academy. Isaac is not naturally a centre-half, so for him to step into that position, and then to score from set-pieces, which, as you\u2019ve seen this year, are prominent throughout the game, was brilliant,\u201d Coggin told the official West Ham website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Andre Dike continues to shine for the Hammers at youth level<\/p>\n![\"West](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2181977800-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Tullio Puglia \u2013 The FA\/The FA via Getty ImagesLauris Coggin hails Isaac Thomas as West Ham United thrash Ipswich Town<\/p>\n