HAMMERS Under-18s have lost 3-1 at Southampton in this Friday
afternoon kick-off at the Staplewood Training Ground.
The game was brought forward because of Wednesday's FA Youth
Cup Fourth Round clash with Blackburn, but Tony Carr's
under-strength side did not start well and fell behind after
only seven minutes when Nathan Dyer converted a right wing cross.
Hammers goalkeeper Matt Reed was called into action twice in the
opening 15 minutes, parrying the ball away from Adam Lallana
before saving well from Josh Dutton-Black.
West Ham's only real chance of the first-half came on 35
minutes when Moses Ashikodi crossed for Hogan Ephraim, whose header
just skipped wide of the post.
At the other end, Tony Carr's side were fighting bravely
to hold the rampant Southampton attack at bay. But
with half-time approaching they succumbed to a well-worked
move from the home side, Dutton-Black supplying the cross that
Craig Richards diverted past Reed.
The Hammers came out for the second-half determined to salvage
pride, if nothing else, from the game. But it was the Saints who
had the first chance of the half, Reed doing well to save a Lallana
pile-driver.
Just three minutes later David Cowley was fouled on the edge of the
area and Danny Bunce fired in a dipping free-kick, which
Southampton goalkeeper Andrew McNeil did well to claw away from the
top corner.
With 69 minutes gone, West Ham got the goal their hard-work
deserved. Cowely swung in a corner and Ephraim fired goalwards. His
shot was blocked, sparking a melee in the hosts penalty box that
was eventually ended when Hammers defender James Tomkins stabbed
the ball home.
But just five minutes later Southampton secured all three
points when Theo Walcott blasted past Reed from a tight angle to
send Hammers home empty handed.
WHU: Reed; Andrews, Bunce, White, Tomkins, Shaw, Cowley, Wright
(Yao 75), Ashikodi (Stokes 86), Ephraim, Welsh (Davidson 60).