Pierre Ekwah did not take long to make an impact as West Ham United beat Cambridge United on Tuesday evening.
The France U20 international midfielder came off the bench at Abbey Stadium, as West Ham United beat the U’s 4-2, and soon made his mark in front of the travelling 851-strong Claret and Blue Army.
Combining with fellow Hammers U21s regular Freddie Potts, Ekwah found the bottom corner with an accurate left-footed strike from distance just past the 70-minute mark to score West Ham's fourth goal of the night.
It was the sort of strike you would happily watch back again – and again.
“It’s my first goal for the first team,” Ekwah, modestly stated on his goal. "Obviously I enjoyed that one, with the win as well.
“It was a nice one-two with [Freddie] Pottsy. We have been playing together for a while now. It's always good to get the Academy boys involved, especially when he can assist me, which is good!”
Ekwah was one of a hatful of Academy graduates to feature in Cambridge, with Levi Laing, Kamarai Swyer, Potts and Michael Forbes all coming off the bench in the second half during a Testimonial for long-serving U's defender Greg Taylor.
For Ekwah, one of the most experienced players in the U21s, it is now about pushing for more first-team chances, as the Irons prepare for the resumption of the 2022/23 Premier League season after the FIFA World Cup's conclusion.
“I'm looking [to play more first-team football],” he added. “I'm still working in training and in [Academy] games to show what I can do week in week out. I am sure [more first-team opportunities] will come and I can grab it with both hands.”
Like the first team, the U21s schedule has paused for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And while Mark Robson’s men won their last three matches before the break, Ekwah is convinced that the U21s can come back even stronger in the new year.
“I think the break came at the right time for [the U21s] to get some more confidence, and show what we can do, which is good for us,” he explained.
Next, the Hammers will head to Udinese on Saturday 10 December for their second midseason friendly, although Ekwah has one eye of France’s World Cup quarter-final against England later the same day.
Who is he going to support then, with Declan Rice in the England ranks and Alphonse Areola in the France squad?
"Allez Les Bleus!” Ekwah smiled. “France, of course.”
