Reserve Team coach Steve Brown was delighted at the
solid display that saw his side pick up their first point of the
season with a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth on Monday
evening.
The Hammers were dealt a blow when, after just six minutes, former
England striker Andy Cole opened the scoring. But heads didn't
go down and, after a stirring second half display, the hosts
grabbed a share of the points when youngster Freddie Sears found
the net with just five minutes remaining.
Speaking after the game, Brown said: "I'm really pleased.
I think we should have got three points here tonight, because we
dominated the game.
"It was a shame that we let an early goal in because it put us
on the back foot a bit in the first half and really, the rest of
our performance deserved three or four goals.
"Our football was tremendous tonight, our team were very young
but they were superb. Freddie Sears, who got the goal, worked his
socks off up front, our young defenders were ably assisted by first
team pros like Tyrone Mears and Mark Noble in the midfield and when
I see work ethic like that, it makes it all worthwhile."
Portsmouth got themselves on top early in the game, but despite
several other chances following Cole's goal, they were not able
to add a second to their tally.
Hammers went searching for the equaliser - Lee Hales put a shot
across the goal, before Mark Noble, making his first appearance in
a West Ham shirt since returning from his loan spell at Ipswich,
struck a fierce shot over the bar.
After the break, West Ham made the livelier start, with Sears and
Jack Collison both testing Pompey keeper Azmir Begovic early on,
while Hogan Ephraim then saw his effort pushed away by the keeper.
Portsmouth themselves had a few long-range chances to nab a second
goal, the best opportunity falling to Fadiga, who cracked the bar
with his effort.
Brown made three substitutes, Junior Stanislas coming on for Kyel
Reid, with later in the half, Tom Harvey replacing Mears and
Ephraim making way for Jack Jeffrey.
West Ham continued to pass the ball well, with Noble busy trying to
find an opening and, just when it looked as if efforts might go
unrewarded, the Hammers eventually got the goal they were looking
for.
A short corner saw the ball find its way into the box, where Sears
held off the challenges of the defenders around him to drive the
ball into the back of the net.
For Brown, the point is definitely something to build on,
especially after last week's 4-1 defeat at the hands of Fulham.
He said: "The average age out there was 18, with some
16-year-olds in the mix, so a performance like that was one of the
best I've seen at reserve level for a long time.
"At half-time, I just addressed the little things that I felt
were letting us down and stopping us from scoring - and the fact we
were allowing them a bit too much space on the flanks.
"But the response I got was terrific, because we were more
solid again in the second 45 minutes and restricted Portsmouth to
just two or three long shots. Our young defenders, up against a
seasoned performer like Andy Cole, have much to be happy
about."
Brown, who had to taste heavy defeat in his first game in charge
last week, was a happier man this time around.
He added: "It was a very disappointing start last week. I had
literally come into the building, was getting to know everyone,
went to the first game and then we were 4-0 down at half-time and
it wasn't a nice place to be.
"But obviously you get days like that and it just a shame that
was my first game in charge. Here, we have bounced back from that
and that performance deserved all three points, no two-ways about
it.
"When you look at the squad, if I get that work ethic every
week, that sort of football, then we're going to win more than
we will lose."
Hammers: Stech; Mears (Harvey), Spence, Ngala, Widdowson; Hales,
Collison, Noble, Reid (Stanislas); Sears, Ephraim (Jeffery). Subs
unused: Blackmore, Fitzgerald
By Laura Burkin