Archie Woods believes West Ham United U21s’ convincing 2-1 win against Everton was the perfect way to open the new year.
The young Hammers got their second half to the 2022/23 season underway with an impressive showing at Haig Avenue, versus the Toffees. Kamarai Swyer put the visitors in front with a well-taken header, before Divin Mubama added a second from the penalty spot after half-time.
While Tom Cannon reduced the deficit for Everton with an expertly taken free-kick, the Irons’ grit and determination saw the side take a highly deserved three points.
“This win is a great way to start the new year,” Woods told whufc.com. “We finished off 2022 with some really positive results, with the wins in the league and the one in the International Cup as well, so it’s great that we’ve been able to keep that momentum going.
“It was a really good game. The boys started off so well from the start. We controlled the first half really well and, credit to Everton, they came out fighting in the second half. We had to defend a bit more but the boys stuck it out. We got a really good, deserved three points.”
The young midfielder was particularly thrilled with how the development side dealt with conceding on 80 minutes, which spurred Everton in chasing what had looked like an unlikely leveller.
The Irons defended resolutely, and Woods was full of praise for his teammates’ efforts, while also taking some pride in his own.
He continued: “It was a cold and windy night but the boys really stuck together. Particularly towards the end, when our backs were against the wall a bit.
“The amount of crosses coming were unbelievable but the defending from everyone – including our midfielders and attackers – was non-stop. We can be proud of that and it was a great team performance.
“I think I did well. I was trying to do what I could to help the team out. There was a lot of running out there, which I think you could see because I got some cramp come the end! I was crawling to stay onside at one point! But it was worth it to get those three points.”
Victory over Everton is a fourth consecutive win in all competitions for the U21s, and Woods says the side are desperate to keep the run going and push up the Premier League 2 table in the coming weeks.
“The younger boys who have come up have really started to adapt to the development league,” he added. “It’s a step up but we had a younger team compared to Everton and we played so well.
“The boys are getting better and better each day, so hopefully we can keep pushing up the league now and keep winning games. If we can play in other games how we did in the first half against Everton, then we’ll do alright in the second half of the season.”