Reserves head for Thurrock

West Ham United reserves kick-off their pre-season schedule by making the short trip to Blue Square South side Thurrock on Saturday.

Alex Dyer will have a promising squad at his disposal for the visit to Ship Lane, with young professionals Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson, Olly Lee, Jordan Brown (pictured) and Callum McNaughton among a host of Academy graduates ready to line up against The Fleet.

The quartet all featured in Wednesday's pre-season friendly victory at Peterborough United and, with fellow youngsters Matt Fry, Anthony Edgar and Cristian Montano travelling with the first-team squad to Germany, all know they can catch the eye of manager Avram Grant.

With Grant and his squad jetting out for an eight-day training camp on Friday, Dyer is expecting his young players to do everything they can to impress both at Thurrock and in their second pre-season friendly at League Two Burton Albion on Saturday 24 July.

"The boys have been in for two weeks now and working hard on their pre-season training, so it will be nice for them to get back into a match situation again," said Dyer.

"Some of them played for the first team in midweek and did well. This will be their first reserve-team fixture of the season and we will be looking to start on a positive note.

"We always go to Thurrock because they do a lot for the club behind the scenes and I'm sure it will be a good, competitive fixture. We have got a young squad, but this will be good experience for them all.

"Three of the boys who did well at Peterborough have gone with the first team to Germany and I am pleased for them, because everybody wants to be in and around the first-team squad. This club has always shown a commitment to promote promising youngsters and I am sure that will continue."

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Alongside his reserve-team regulars, Dyer will also have a number of the club's promising scholars at his disposal.

With the Under-18s not starting their own pre-season schedule until 24 July, the likes of England U17 forward Robert Hall, Turkey U18 goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet, Poland U18 full-back Filip Modelski and Republic of Ireland youth internationals Eoin Wearen and Daniel Purdy could all be in action at Thurrock.

Saturday's match kicks-off at 3pm, with tickets available on the turnstiles priced at £8, £5 and £2.