Alex Dyer was brimming with pride as West Ham United began the new Barclays Premier Reserve League season with a superb 1-0 win at Everton.
Junior Stanislas scored the match-winner, but it took a resilient all-round performance from the Hammers to secure victory over a strong Toffees side. Extensive match highlights are available to view now on WHUTV here.
Both clubs named first-team players in their starting lineups, with Stech, James Tomkins, Winston Reid, Radoslav Kovac, Stanislas, Freddie Sears and Frank Nouble all featuring for Dyer's side. Everton, meanwhile, handed starts to Phil Neville, Jermaine Beckford and Yakubu.
With a strong, gusty wind blowing around Everton's Finch Farm training complex, West Ham had to be at their very best to keep the Toffees at bay, both before and after Stanislas's 28th-minute goal.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF THE VICTORY AT EVERTON ON WHUTV
"It was a great day," said Dyer. "It was a great day for the boys who have come all the way up to Everton. They put in a superb performance. Every single one of them worked their hearts out and deserved their win."Both clubs put out a mixture of first-team players and youngsters and it was a proper reserve-team game. I like to think that for our part, the first-team boys who came and played showed great attitude and application. They helped out the younger ones and I wouldn't have swapped our boys for their boys.
"Marek was very good. He made some great saves and kept us in the game. I also thought James Tomkins and Winston Reid were very good at the back. I was very pleased with Kovac, as he looked a lot fitter and worked very hard and controlled the midfield for us. Freddie Sears was also outstanding - his movement up front was very good - and Junior obviously got the goal to cap a decent performance.
"I was also happy with Olly Lee and Ahmed Abdulla in the midfield, because they worked hard to get tight to their men and did not stop running for the whole game."
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Dyer was particularly pleased with the approach taken to the fixture shown by the senior players. An early-morning departure meant 6am alarm calls for the squad, but they showed no signs of tiredness despite the early start.
"This is reserve-team football and I want it to be done properly. I hate it when people say to me 'It's just reserves and it's all about developing the lads'. Of course it is about bringing them through, but part of their development is learning how to win games.
"We scored midway through the first half and, like we did against Leicester last week, we had to hold on to the result that we had.
"It was very difficult and very windy, but we coped with the conditions well. Every single one of the lads gave 100 per cent right until the last minute. It was a long way to come and not play well and we didn't do that. It's the first time some of the younger lads have travelled so far to play and they all delivered."
Dyer's day was capped by a handshake and message of congratulations from Everton first-team manager David Moyes, who watched the whole match from a balcony outside his training ground office.
"It was nice. He came over and said 'Well done' and that it was a good game and our boys did well. It's very pleasing that the opposition first-team manager could see that our first-team boys came out with the right attitude. That's what pleased me most - that they travelled all that way and wanted to do a job for West Ham United."