Mark Robson admitted West Ham United U21s’ home defeat to Jong PSV was a steep learning curve for both him and his players.
A very young Hammers side was beaten 5-0 by the visiting Dutch team in Tuesday evening’s Premier League International Cup match.
PSV took the lead in the first half through Mohamed Nassoh’s deflected strike, before substitute August Priske Flyger netted a double after coming on at half-time. Dante Sealy and Mathijs Tielemans wrapped up the win with late finishes on the break on a difficult evening for the West Ham U21s at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
With ten of the eleven starters for the development side playing for the U18s last season, Robson said the result gave him a chance to glean a further insight into each individual.
“This was a good opportunity to look at some of the younger players,” the lead coach told whufc.com. “They’ve been doing very well in the U18s over the last year or so and it was a good test for them against a PSV team who were slightly older, and were much stronger. They were cleverer on the ball.
“We contained them quite well in the first half but, in the second, they took control of the game. They were very good and they’re probably the best team we’ve played this season.
“We never really hurt them, on the attack. We had one or two half chances, but I can’t recall us forcing their goalkeeper to make a save. We couldn’t get in behind them with our play and our quality. That was disappointing but this is a young team and I wanted to give some of them an opportunity so I could take a look at them.
“It was a big learning curve. You get to find out a bit about some of the lads, which is always good. It’s good for me because I can learn things about one or two players and whether they are ready for the next level. The increase in level up to U21s football is much higher. It’s a much, much higher standard than the one they are used to do. The quality you play against is much more and there was a lot of quality in that PSV team.”
Two U18s players made their first starts for the U21s respectively on Tuesday, as both Patrick Kelly and Lewis Orford stepped into the starting XI after outings from the bench earlier in the campaign.
Both have impressed in Kevin Keen’s U18s so far this season and Robson was eager to give each of the boys a chance in the U21s.
“I wanted to give Patrick and Lewis their opportunity. I played Patrick out of position, which was perhaps a bit harsh on him. I put him in that role because I wanted to give him a game, and we already had players coming into the middle, and he has played that right-back role. I wanted to see what he was like with the ball and it was a good opportunity for him.
“It was good for Lewis as well. He came on against MK Dons last week and did okay in that game. He found it difficult against PSV, which I would expect for him coming into a match of this level, and that’s okay. I’m sure it was a good experience for him though and a good learning opportunity because he won’t perhaps be used to that tempo. It was good for both of them to both get their first starts for the U21s.”
The busy fixture list sees the Hammers visit Blackburn Rovers on Saturday next, with the hosts finding a rich vein of form in recent weeks.
Robson is anticipating another tricky test for his young Irons.
“We’re going to Blackburn Rovers next, who got a fantastic result against Manchester City in their last game,” He added. “That will be a tough game for us for sure.
“We’ll need to roll our sleeves up and dig in. I felt that was something we were perhaps lacking against PSV, so we need to show some grit and be really committed as a team in order to get a win on the board.”
