KYEL Reid was delighted to finish the season with an England
appearance, as the 17-year-old winger won a cap for the England
Under-18s against Norway.
And it's all going to add up to a very short summer for the
hardworking Academy player, who will be back on the training ground
in a couple of weeks getting prepared for the new campaign.
"It was brilliant to play for England," he said,
"even though our performance wasn't all that good on the
night. The team spirit in the squad is really good and it's a
nice way to finish the season.
"It was also great to have Moses Ashikodi with me in the
squad. It's always good when you have a club-mate with you on
international duty, and it's very encouraging for West Ham
United to have two players included in the England Under-18 squad.
"I didn't share a room with Mo, because on these kind of
England trips they tend to split club team-mates up to encourage
the team to gel, but it was good to have him there and an enjoyable
experience."
Now Kyel is looking forward to a very short break before pre-season
begins in earnest at the start of July.
"I'm going to have a week off," he explained,
"and then it'll be back at the training ground working on
things and getting ready for the new season.
"As a young player, it's important to get a good start to
pre-season and hopefully try and impress the manager.
"England also have qualifies coming up for the European
Championships and I want to make sure I keep my England place, so
there is also that to work towards.
"There is going to be a lot of hard work ahead in pre-season,
but I'm looking forward to it and hopefully a good
season."
A SHORT summer break is also what's in store for Moses
Ashikodi, who was also pleased to make an appearance for the
England Under-18s at Port Vale.
"It was good to get out on the pitch for England," he
admitted. "I was slightly disappointed not to start the game,
but it was encouraging for me to play and the 0-0 was probably a
fair result in the end.
"I was going to go to Nigeria this summer, but that won't
happen now, because I want to work on my fitness and make sure
I'm ready for the start of next season.
"I was up in Cardiff and the scenes there were magnificent. It
was fantastic for the Club to get promoted and I can't wait for
the season to start.
"But now that we're in the Premier League it's going
to mean even harder work for young players like myself to break
through.
"I've got to make sure that I'm ready. I felt that my
goal count was a bit low last season as well and that's
something I want to work on and make sure I'm sharper going
into the new campaign."