Kevin Keen has heaped praise on West Ham United U18s for their performance and professionalism in Wednesday’s 3-1 FA Youth Cup third round win at Sheffield United.
The young Irons got their 2022/23 involvement in the competition off to a flying start as a scorching finish from Callum Marshall was followed by two well-taken goals by Divin Mubama.
Sam Aston would strike late on for the Blades, but the Hammers’ impressive showing saw them through to the fourth round at the Impact Arena.
Keen was very pleased with the result secured by his team, and even more satisfied with the manner in which the young Hammers played and conducted themselves.
“Both the performance and the result were very pleasing,” the U18s head coach told whufc.com. “We got the result we wanted here but I’ve got to give a lot of respect to Sheffield United. I thought they were really good, especially in the second half when they put us under a lot of pressure, but sometimes that can work in the opposite way because it gave us a bit more room to operate in.
“It was a tough game. We’ve had to come up here and play a team that are competing at the top of their league, so I’m really pleased for our squad.
“I always talk to our lads about it being a squad game, and Callum Marshall comes on and scores a wondergoal after being told he’s on the bench just a few hours before. It was nice for him to come on and get his goal and then Divin, through Gideon’s hard work, has scored twice. It was very pleasing to see.
“We saw a lot of professionalism from the lads. This is a tournament that drives young players; the one that everyone wants to be in and playing, but we must keep their feet on the ground and remind them it’s about doing the things we’ve been doing all season.
“It’s about supplying our front men, because we’ve got forwards who can score goals. If we can keep the ball out of the net at the other end, then we’ve got a chance in every game.”
Victory away to Sheffield United means the U18s have claimed an incredible 13 wins from 14 matches played in all competitions in the first half of the 2022/23 season.
While Keen insists there is still room for the Hammers to get even better, the fine run of form is a source of great pride for everyone involved in the Academy of Football.
“There is always room for improvement. The game we lost will always stick in my mind – Nottingham Forest away! But at the same time, it’s something for the Academy on the whole to be proud of.
“The lads have worked their absolute socks off and the last few weeks, we’ve had what I’d call our ‘marquee’ players back – the ones who have been with the U21s – and it’s been a pleasure to have them back. But even before that, when they were with Robbo, we had players like Ryan Battrum and Tyron Akpata putting in really fantastic performances.
“It’s an achievement for the whole squad. It’s a good achievement for us to keep working hard and churning out results. It doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because you are talented, young footballers and you work hard.”
As the Academy players enjoy a short, festive break before returning to action in early 2023, the U18s already know their opponents in the FA Youth Cup fourth round.
A trip up north to face Burnley awaits the Hammers in January, something Keen and his team are already excited for.
“We’re looking forward to Burnley already,” he added. “They had a really good result against Norwich City in the third round. They won on penalties and it will be another really tough game.
“But, if you want to achieve and win things, you’ve got to got to come out on the right side of games like these, as we did in this one.”
