Mark Robson was delighted after West Ham United U21s’ superb 5-0 victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night.
The Irons made it seven wins from their last ten matches in Premier League 2, and moved above Wolves in the table, after an impressive performance at the Aggborough Stadium.
The hosts were reduced to ten men inside the opening 20 minutes when goalkeeper, Palmi Arinbjornsson was sent off for the denial of a clear goal scoring opportunity after fouling Kamarai Swyer.
Kam Kandola’s own goal was followed by a Regan Clayton thunderbolt as the Hammers took a two-goal lead before the interval. Christian Marques scored a second own goal for the hosts after the break, before Lewis Orford and Archie Woods claimed their first goals for the U21s in the closing stages.
Lead coach Robson was thrilled with the response shown by his side after a disappointing 5-1 defeat against Manchester City last time out…
It was the perfect way to bounce back.
We actually played well at times against Manchester City, but things didn’t quite go our way. The score line on that day didn’t properly reflect the game.
To come here tonight and to play so well, even before the red card, was really pleasing. It’s a really positive night for us and we played some excellent football at times.
It was important to make a fast start.
We were really good right from the off. We were on the front foot, we pressed them well and we played with real quality. Our passing was excellent and we created several chances in the opening ten minutes.
Of course the goalkeeper then gets sent off and that’s something that gives us an advantage. From that moment we controlled the game and we probably could have scored more goals.
If I’m being really harsh maybe we were a bit complacent at times in the second half, but it was a really pleasing night.
It was a great night for some of the younger lads.
It was great to get Ryan Battrum and Favour Fawunmi on in the second half. That’s something that we’ve done all season - we’ve been promoting from the U18s to the U21s. The U18s have been doing really well and it’s the right moment to start integrating a couple of them into the U21s team.
We had a difficult start to the season but we’re doing a lot better now and I think that’s because the younger boys have adapted. They now know what this league is about and it was great to hand out another couple of debuts tonight.
We also had Liam Jones with us today who didn’t quite make the squad but it was a good experience for the younger boys. It’s fantastic that the pathway is there for the U18s players.
We’re on a good run of form and we just want to keep going.
We played well against Manchester City at times but that result is a blip. But it was important for us to bounce back tonight and we’ve done that. It’s another win for us and the aim now is to keep pushing.
It’s been a fantastic week for the Academy.
Firstly I want to congratulate Krisztián Hegyi on being called up for Hungary. It’s also fantastic for Billy Lepine and Xavi Valero and it demonstrates the fantastic work that they do with him. It’ll be a fantastic experience for Krisztián, and one that he’ll never forget.
Thursday night was also a special night. Freddie Potts has already had a couple of games for the first team but I was delighted to see him get another opportunity. He was excellent for us tonight too.
It was fantastic to see Divin Mubama get a goal and I’m delighted for him. He worked hard, just as he does for us, and the fans loved it.
I want to give a special mention for Levi Laing though who also came off the bench on Thursday. A year or so ago, a first team appearance was not on the cards for Levi so it shows how far he’s come in the last year. He’s made a lot of progression and hopefully he can keep going.
