Junior Robinson has hailed West Ham United U21s for showing different attributes in their 2-1 win over Everton.
The young Irons got 2023 off to the perfect start with three points away to the Toffees, secured thanks to Kamarai Swyer’s header on 29 minutes, and Divin Mubama’s second-half penalty.
Having shown confident and stylish, attacking play throughout most of Friday’s fixture, the U21s were forced to dig in deep and display resolution in the final ten minutes after Tom Cannon’s free-kick halved the deficit for Everton, encouraging the hosts to search for an unlikely equaliser.
Robinson was happy with how the team were able to switch between the aspects of their game in order to claim the victory.
“You could see the togetherness in the team from the start,” he told whufc.com. “We really wanted to get this win. Winning is a good habit to have and we were able to do that today.
“We had to show different sides of our game. We had to show aspects we don’t always have to put out there, but we showed we can play and we also showed we can dig in and grind out a result too, so we can be very pleased.”
The wing-back made his first start for Robson’s development team in Premier League 2 at Haig Avenue, showcasing his quality with a role in both of West Ham’s goals.
The 18-year-old played a pinpoint cross for Swyer’s opener and also won the penalty for the Irons, being fouled in the box after a mazy run.
He reflected: “I tried my hardest and I think I played well. I think the coaches are happy with how I did too, so that’s all I can really try to do.
“I was happy to get the assist for Kam. It was a top finish from him. I know if I put balls into that area, our forwards are going to attack them and score, so that’s what I’ll keep trying to do. I was happy to win the penalty too, and Divin doesn’t miss those.”
The U21s have won their last four matches in all competitions and Robinson is eager for the side to keep the streak going away to Tottenham Hotspur in their next league outing.
“We want to keep winning now. We’ve won four consecutive games now and we want to keep that going when we play Tottenham Hotspur next Saturday.”
