U21s coach Steve Potts praised his side’s performance as the young Hammers beat London rivals Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The Dev Squad shook off any nerves to put in a tireless performance in the iconic stadium. From the first to the last minute, the Hammers, to a man, were superb.
Speaking after the game, a clearly delighted Potts beamed: “I’d say it’s our best performance of the season.
“I’m very pleased. Obviously the result was very important but I’m even happier with the performance.”
In an end-to-end game, the Hammers had the better chances in the first period. Nathan Mavila and Djair Parfitt-Williams both went close before Jordan Brown went through one-on-one yet Chelsea goalkeeper Bradley Collins made a great save.
The Hammers' best chance to break the deadlock came through skipper Josh Cullen from the penalty spot after Moses Makasi was felled in the box.
Up-stepped Cullen, looking for his second goal of the campaign. He sent Collins the wrong way yet he smashed his effort inches wide of the right-hand post.
Potts continued to highlight his side’s monumental defensive effort, particularly against a team of Chelsea’s quality.
“Our first half was excellent and we probably should’ve had the game out of sight. The penalty miss, the one-on-one and a few other good chances. We went in 0-0 at half time disappointed.
“In the second half it was a different type of game, they went a bit more direct and pinned us back. There were a lot of positives for us to take, particularly how we defended. We were well organised mixed with some last ditch defending.”
Friday night’s win saw the Dev Squad record their first away win of the season, as well as their third clean sheet.
In total, of the Hammers' five league wins, three have come at games played in Premier League stadia, a factor that Potts believes is not entirely coincidental.
“I think playing in a stadium like Stamford Bridge helps. Against a team like Chelsea, if you’re not on the top of your game you are going to get punished. I think every single one of our players did their job tonight. They played well but they had to, Chelsea are a good team.
“We deserved our clean sheet. I think if you look back at the last half dozen games, we’ve given cheap goals away and that’s left us with mountains to climb. We’ve had chances tonight, but we only needed one in the end because of the clean sheet.
“I said to the boys that over the last five games I think we’ve done well enough to get more from the games. I think a lot of people really grew up tonight. Against Man City a couple of weeks ago we did very well, likewise against Everton we had chances to win the game.”
The Hammers’ winner came in the 90th minute, and it was certainly worth the wait.
Cullen, who was desperately trying to atone for his earlier penalty miss, got his reward as he bent a wonderful shot, first time, from the edge of the area. It rocketed off the underside of the crossbar and he and his teammates wheeled away in delight to celebrate in front of the travelling away fans.
Summarisng his thoughts on the goal, Potts praised his captain’s mental strength: “Josh missing the penalty is just one of those things. He kept going and put that disappointment behind him. He was just as good in the second half as the first, lots of energy and a fantastic finish.”
On Monday 18 May, the Hammers travel to play Leicester City in their final game of the season and while Potts is looking forward to the challenge, he warned his players that playing two games in four days would be a hard task.
“Playing again so soon, away at Leicester on Monday is the tough bit. They have to go again. Leicester will be a different type of game, I think they’ll be a lot more physical. We’ve got three days to get over our tiredness.”
The Dev Squad shook off any nerves to put in a tireless performance in the iconic stadium. From the first to the last minute, the Hammers, to a man, were superb.
Speaking after the game, a clearly delighted Potts beamed: “I’d say it’s our best performance of the season.
“I’m very pleased. Obviously the result was very important but I’m even happier with the performance.”
In an end-to-end game, the Hammers had the better chances in the first period. Nathan Mavila and Djair Parfitt-Williams both went close before Jordan Brown went through one-on-one yet Chelsea goalkeeper Bradley Collins made a great save.
The Hammers' best chance to break the deadlock came through skipper Josh Cullen from the penalty spot after Moses Makasi was felled in the box.
Up-stepped Cullen, looking for his second goal of the campaign. He sent Collins the wrong way yet he smashed his effort inches wide of the right-hand post.
Potts continued to highlight his side’s monumental defensive effort, particularly against a team of Chelsea’s quality.
“Our first half was excellent and we probably should’ve had the game out of sight. The penalty miss, the one-on-one and a few other good chances. We went in 0-0 at half time disappointed.
“In the second half it was a different type of game, they went a bit more direct and pinned us back. There were a lot of positives for us to take, particularly how we defended. We were well organised mixed with some last ditch defending.”
Friday night’s win saw the Dev Squad record their first away win of the season, as well as their third clean sheet.
In total, of the Hammers' five league wins, three have come at games played in Premier League stadia, a factor that Potts believes is not entirely coincidental.
“I think playing in a stadium like Stamford Bridge helps. Against a team like Chelsea, if you’re not on the top of your game you are going to get punished. I think every single one of our players did their job tonight. They played well but they had to, Chelsea are a good team.
“We deserved our clean sheet. I think if you look back at the last half dozen games, we’ve given cheap goals away and that’s left us with mountains to climb. We’ve had chances tonight, but we only needed one in the end because of the clean sheet.
“I said to the boys that over the last five games I think we’ve done well enough to get more from the games. I think a lot of people really grew up tonight. Against Man City a couple of weeks ago we did very well, likewise against Everton we had chances to win the game.”
The Hammers’ winner came in the 90th minute, and it was certainly worth the wait.
Cullen, who was desperately trying to atone for his earlier penalty miss, got his reward as he bent a wonderful shot, first time, from the edge of the area. It rocketed off the underside of the crossbar and he and his teammates wheeled away in delight to celebrate in front of the travelling away fans.
Summarisng his thoughts on the goal, Potts praised his captain’s mental strength: “Josh missing the penalty is just one of those things. He kept going and put that disappointment behind him. He was just as good in the second half as the first, lots of energy and a fantastic finish.”
On Monday 18 May, the Hammers travel to play Leicester City in their final game of the season and while Potts is looking forward to the challenge, he warned his players that playing two games in four days would be a hard task.
“Playing again so soon, away at Leicester on Monday is the tough bit. They have to go again. Leicester will be a different type of game, I think they’ll be a lot more physical. We’ve got three days to get over our tiredness.”