Youths on the up before cup

West Ham United Under-18s 2-1 Portsmouth Under-18s

West Ham United's youngsters warmed up for Wednesday night's vital FA Youth Cup tie with a comeback home win against Portsmouth.

The Hammers welcome Bolton Wanderers to the Boleyn Ground in midweek for the third-round fixture and Tony Carr will have been delighted with Saturday's league result at Little Heath - especially as the first half saw Zavon Hines miss a penalty before Portsmouth took the lead.

Hines then made amends with the equaliser in the second half before the home side, featuring several changes including the presence of reserve-team captain Jack Collison, took the points with a wonder goal from Matt Fry. The victory means it is three games unbeaten for Carr's side after a 1-1 draw at Fulham followed a 2-0 win at Ipswich Town.

West Ham United: Stech, Payne, Ashman (Miller), Blackwell, Brooks, Fitzgerald, Fry, Collison, Edgar, Kearns, Hines

  • Return to whufc.com on Monday for more on the Academy side, including the thoughts of Tony Carr on the weekend outing and the big cup tie on Wednesday.