WEST Ham United Under-18s take on Leyton Orient at Upton Park in
the FA Youth Cup tomorrow evening, kick-off 7.00pm.
After knocking-out one of the pre-tournament favourites, Blackburn
Rovers, in the last round the Hammers players are confident of
another good showing, but warn that Orient are not to be
under-estimated.
Here, members of Tony Carr's Under-18 squad, reveal their
thoughts on what is sure to be a great Cup-tie evening at Upton
Park.
Chris Cohen - Midfielder
"It's going to be a really tough game. They'll
definitely be up for it and they're sure to work extremely
hard, so we've got to make sure we match them in that
department. Orient will be looking to keep it tight at the back and
not give too much away, but they've also got some pace up front
and we'll have to be on our guard to make sure they don't
catch us out.
"We'll have to be at our best to beat them, but team
spirit is high going into the game and we can take confidence from
our result against Blackburn in the last round. If we can play like
we did in the second-half against them then we should have a good
chance of going through. We were the underdogs going into the
Blackburn game, but the roles will be reversed on Wednesday night
and we'll be the ones expected to make the running.
"That won't bother us though. We need to go out and give a
solid performance and hopefully there will be a good crowd at Upton
Park to cheer us on."
Kyel Reid - Midfielder
"We're really looking forward to the game. It should be
a great Cup-tie and hopefully with the Upton Park crowd behind us
we can get a good result and go through to the next round. The FA
Youth Cup is a bit of a special competition for me, because it was
playing in the tournament last season that got me noticed and
selected for the England Youth squad for the first time. It gave me
my chance and really set me up for how well things are going at the
moment. I've got special memories of the competition and
hopefully we can make a few more on Wednesday night.
"It's Arsenal or Southampton in the next round at Upton
Park, but that isn't really entering our thinking at the
moment. Tony Carr stresses the importance of us staying focused on
the game coming up and not looking too far into the future.
It's hard not to get excited about what might happen if we win,
but everyone in the squad knows that Leyton Orient will be a really
tough side to beat and it's going to be a hard game for
us."
Ryan Andrews - Defender
"One of my mates, Brian Glover, is in the Orient team, but
he isn't giving anything away so I don't know too much
about how they'll play. We're expecting a really physical
game though and I'm sure Orient will work extremely hard, so
we've got to be ready for them.
"Arsenal and Southampton are two of the biggest names in Youth
football, and to draw one of those two sides in the next round is
fantastic for both West Ham and Leyton Orient. But there's been
no real mention of what will happen past the Fifth Round, because
we are not even close to getting there yet.
"We've got a realty tough Cup-tie coming up on Wednesday
night and it's too close to call which way it will go. We know
they've got a bit of pace up front and it's going to be
important for us to start well and put them on the back foot right
from the kick-off."
Ishmael Welsh - Midfielder
"Everyone is bubbling ahead of the Leyton Orient game. The
spirit in the camp is really high, and although everyone is
expecting a tough game against Orient, the whole squad are looking
forward to it. Whether you are going to be starting or on the
bench, everyone is lively building up to a game like this. We know
that we're all part of a squad, and whether you play or not,
it's about the team winning rather than any one individual.
"There's loads of excitement around Little Heath at the
moment and everyone is approaching the game with the right
mentality. Orient have got a few really good lads in their side and
it's going to be a close game. Hopefully, going forward
we'll be able to cause them problems, but they've got some
threat up front as well and we'll have to be on our toes at the
back to make sure we stay solid.
"I don't know whether I'll start or not yet, but
whoever plays it should be a fantastic game and we'll be
focused on getting the job done."