Five goals and a clean-sheet under the lights at London Stadium. There was no better way to conclude the Premier League 2 season, according to U23s captain Aji Alese.
Alese led the development team out on Monday against Derby County at the home of West Ham United, where the young Irons put the Rams to the sword, storming to a 3-0 lead at half-time courtesy of Sonny Perkins’ penalty, Thierry Nevers’ swivelling finish and Andriy Yarmolenko’s clever goal.
Perkins would add his second in the second half before Divin Mubama slid in his first goal at U23s level to secure the 5-0 victory.
“This was the best way we could have ended the season,” Alese told West Ham TV. “We went into the game knowing that we were finishing second but you want to finish the season on a high, and that was a good way to do it.
“We always believe we can score several goals, no matter who we play against. We obviously know that shots equal goals and luckily we got a penalty early on, and the goals flowed from there.”
Alese has had the honour of featuring at London Stadium on a number of outings this season, both for Mark Robson’s U23s and as a part of the first team squad.
The centre-back is relishing those opportunities when they come, and is hopeful of earning even more.
He continued: “It’s always great. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some magical nights at London Stadium with the first team, and I’ve played here with the U23s a few times now as well.
“When you get here and you get opportunities like this, it really makes you hope for those opportunities with the first team. It’s always great to play here.”
Overall, the 21-year-old is satisfied with how the season has gone for both himself personally and the U23s, who have secured a second-place finish in Premier League 2 Division 1.
Alese is optimistic the effort put in by the U23s will earn him and his teammates even more chances to impress in the senior side in the future.
“To summarise, it’s been a good season,” Alese added. “We started the year trying to push for the title, but the last few weeks saw us kind of fall off that. We’ve worked hard all season, we’ve given our best, and I think that shows in our performances and in our results.
“I think I’ve done well this season, personally. I’ve come in every day and tried to work hard, and that’s all I can do. Hopefully that shows in my performances.
“Getting the chance with the first team, it’s the hope for all of us in the U23s. Whether it’s in training or in games, that it reflects up to the first team and give us that chance. That’s what we’re working for.”
