Double Draw For Kids

West Ham United's Academy teams both secured draws in their matches on Saturday. The under-19s were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Bristol City, while the under-17s rescued a 1-1 draw with a second half equaliser against Wolves.

Both matches were frustratingly spoilt by the near-gale force weather conditions, and there was further bad news for Tony Carr's under-19 side, as midfielder Daryl McMahon sustained a torn cartilage in a freak incident and will now miss the rest of the season.

Says Carr: "It was a terrible game, absolutely ruined by the conditions, and the injury to Daryl just rounded it off.

"He was going for a ball and caught his studs in the turf as he attempted to win the ball. It's very sad for the boy, because he has been dogged by various injuries all year and this has brought his season to a sorry end.

"He had an operation on Monday (March 11) and will spend the summer rehabilitating in the hope of being fully fit for pre-season training.

"It's not a career threatening injury but horrible all the same and we wish him a speedy recovery."

In a game of few chances, the Hammers enjoyed the better opportunities but Tony admits he was glad to hear the final whistle.

"As a spectacle, it was a non-event, and the players get nothing out of playing in those conditions.

"It was a waste of time trying to play football and I was glad that we came away without conceding a freak goal, because we didn't deserve to lose."

Team: Jackson, Khan, Dean, Ferdinand, Ward, Britton, Ritchie (Akinsete 70), Mehmet, Allen, Eastwood, D.McMahon (Saunders 30). Subs unused: Fletcher, Metitiri.

Meanwhile, a second half strike from Marcel Collington rescued a deserved point for the under-17s in their game against Wolves.

After the hosts had taken a 30th minute lead, a good move involving Mark Noble and Mitchell Cole led to Collington claiming an equaliser on the hour.

The Hammers then had further chances to take the lead but couldn't find the breakthrough and were forced to settle for a draw in their final group game of the season.

The youngsters have now been paired in a play-off group with Arsenal, Everton and Sheffield United, with the first game scheduled for this coming Saturday.

Said Peter Brabrook: "It was a poor game really, ruined by the conditions, but we had enough chances to win and deserved the three points.

"To be honest, we were better playing against the wind, but once again we missed chances in front of goal and it has been a problem for us this season. There haven't been many occasions when we have scored more than one goal in a match and we need to solve that if we want to progress through the play-offs.

"Saying that, I am still very proud of the players for what they have achieved this year. Since Christmas, the majority of my team have been schoolboys and they are often playing against staff boys a year older than them.

"The results have been good, though, and it is good preparation for them as they get ready to join us full-time next season.

Team: Sealey, Parrington, Laws, Blewitt, Wright (Cohen), McClenahan, Noble, Collington, Tattam (Cole), Morris (Yao), Pearson. Subs unused: Tucker, Henry.