Hammers chance for Dixon

Young forward Joe Dixon is to spend two months with West Ham United after signing a short-term contract.

The 22-year-old is set to initially go into Ian Hendon's development squad in the hope of catching the eye at Chadwell Heath.

He has enjoyed an interesting career to date, having started out as a trainee at Manchester United. Upon being released, he headed to Romania as an 18-year-old and played for then top-flight club Gloria Buzau.

However, he was soon on the move again after financial difficulties led to Gloria's relegation and he ended up in Turkey. While playing for second-tier Kartalspor, he caught the eye of Fenerbahce but a hoped-for move to the Turkish giants was cut short when Dixon picked up a groin injury.

The Londoner returned to England and made three appearances for Ryman League side Grays Athletic in November.

"I'm very happy to have signed for West Ham," he told whufc.com. "It's a big club with a lot of history. It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to starting.

"I've been to the training ground and I met the manager and some of the players. The manager has got a lot of experience so I'm sure I can learn a lot from him.

"A lot of the players are experienced too so I'm sure I can learn a lot from them as well. For me it's just about learning and improving as much as I can. I need some time before I'm ready and hopefully it can happen as quickly as possible."