The Hammers were cruelly beaten late on after twice equalising
FT: Aston Villa U21 3-2 Dev Squad
Terry Westley conducts his post-match talk on the pitch here at Villa Park as the home side go down the tunnel. It was a valiant effort from the Hammers, who twice equalised after falling behind. A cruel defeat.
FT: That's it at Villa Park, and the visitors have cruelly lost this one late on. We'll wait and see what that means in regards to the side's league positioning.
93: West Ham force a corner, but a header loops just over. Time is almost up at Villa Park.
90: RED! A very nasty Villa tackle leads to a confrontation of around 20 players. Eventually, Joshua Webb is shown the red card for Villa.
88: Goal! Villa may have won it. Late heartbreak here for the young Hammers as Blackett-Taylor, the sub fires through a crowd. 3-2.
86: Grealish comes off now for Villa, and Mooney comes on...the PA announcer got the last sub wrong, then...Callum O'Hare, it was, that replaced Green.
83: Subs for both sides, as Hendrie is replaced by Dan Kemp and Kelsey Mooney comes on for Andre Green.
82: PENALTY SHOUT! Hector-Ingram is brought down on the right side of the box, but the referee waves away the claims. We're high up in the stand here, but it looked like a foul... The Hammers have been hard done by there.
81: The visitors have done really well to fight their way back into this one. Dare I say it, they look more likely to go on and win it...
78: GOOOOOAAAALLLL!! There's a second for West Ham as Browne's forward pass is collected by Hector-Ingram. The winger still has a lot to do, but he stays on his feet and finishes well with his left foot! We're all square with everything to play for!
77: Davis charges down a short back-pass towards Spiegel and the keepers's clearance hits the forward. Luckily, the block goes out of play well-wide of the target.
74: Both teams are struggling to get a foothold on this one. We've over 15 minutes to play though, and the Hammers are still very much in this one.
70: Sub for Villa now. Corey Blackett-Taylor comes on as Adama Traore makes way.
65: Stoppage in play here as Reece Oxford receives treatment after a strong tackle. He's up, though, and it looks like he'll continue.
63: Dangerous break for West Ham gives Hendrie the chance to cross, but it's closed down well by Webb. Still pretty even here at Villa Park.
59: Diangana is replaced by Jahmal Hector-Ingram in West Ham's second substitution.
58: Terry Westley's men are doing their best to get back into this. They've got a free-kick on right hand side...Browne's centre goes over everyone in the middle but Reece Oxford collects after the Hammers recycle the ball. His volley goes just over!
56: Rory Hale goes close for Villa, firing just wide after being laid off 18 yards from goal.
52: Goal for the hosts. Andre Green tucks it under Spiegel after some good defending initially by Henry. 2-1.
49: The Hammers break at pace and the ball comes out to Hendrie on the left hand side of the box, but the goalscorer can't work the space for a shot.
46: The second half begins and Vashon Neufville has come on to replace Lewis Page at left-back.
HT: It's leve here as the referee's whistle goes, but it's been a good half of football despite the weather. 1-1.
44: The Hammers are pressing here! A good move gives Hendrie the opportunity to hit one goalwards, but his effort is bloked. Corner...Villa see clear the danger.
41: Great chance for Browne! Hendrie stands up a lovely back-post cross, but the forward's volley cannons down into the ground and out for a goal kick.
37: Dobson sees a gap in front of him and takes aim from 30 yards, but the right-footed effort sails wide. Certainly worth a go!
35: West Ham charge down a Kevin Toner effort from a corner and clear the danger. Still level here as we head into the final ten minutes of the first period.
31: The hosts (though unintentionally) hit the crossbar through a Traore cross.
27: It comes to nothing and Villa break, with Traore twice having good attempts at goal. One is saved superbly by Spiegel. End to end stuff here.
26: Opportunity for Ford, as he gets some space in the box before firing at a defender. Corner kick for the Hammers with Browne to take from the left...
24: It really was great work from Browne for the goal. He nipped down the right hand side and centred low - Hendrie could barely miss and the left-footer has his second Development Squad goal.
21: GOOOOAALLL! Marcus Browne gets to the byline and fires in a lovely cross to Stephen Hendrie who does the rest! The Hammers are back in this!
19: Alex Pike does superbly well to break through down the right, and his ball forward to Ford is clever, but Villa snuff out the promising attack.
16: West Ham are doing their best to get back into this game, but the puddles on the pitch are getting bigger and bigger at Villa Park, making things very tricky.
12: Goal for Aston Villa. Khalid Abdo finishes after Kienan Davis slid the ball in from the right. The weather conditions did nothing to help the Hammers then.
10: Chance! Great closing from Marcus Browne gives Sam Ford space to slide in Stephen Hendrie. His shot goes straight at Sarkic in goal, however.
8: Raphael Spiegel claims well amongst plenty of bodies after a Jack Grealish corner.
6: Lewis Page charges down the left, before George Dobson spreads a pass out wide to Grady Diangana. No chances as yet for either side.
3: It's seriously wet out there and the splashes from the turf can be seen from the stands. The Hammers have had a lot of the early possession, though.
1: We're off! The Hammers are kicking from left to right wearing their change strip of all blue tonight.
7:00pm: The lads are out the tunnel and ready to get this vital clash underway.
6:45pm: We've got just 15 minutes until kick-off, and the rain is still relentless! To remind you, West Ham are looking to secure their place in the play-offs with a win tonight. Providing other results go their way, it might not even take that much...
6:30pm: Jack Grealish and Adama Traore are both out there for the hosts tonight. It's a strong Hammers team too, with Reece Oxford captaining the lads from centre-back.
6:15pm: It's certainly a rain-soaked Villa Park this evening, as well. It's coming down in stair-rods. Let's see if the Hammers can get it down and play some good football on the slick surface like they did against Stoke City last time out.
6pm: The Hammers have arrived at Villa Park for tonight's clash against Aston Villa. It's the last U21 Premier League clash of the season, and the visitors are looking for a win to cement their place in the play-offs. Stay tuned for live updates!
Aston Villa: Sarkic, Webb, Borg, Hale, Suliman, Toner, Traore (Blackett-Taylor '70), Abdo, Davis, Grealish (Mooney '86), Green (O'Hare '83).
Subs: Leggett, Johnansson.
U21: Spiegel, Pike, Henry, Oxford, Page (Neufville '46), Dobson, Makasi, Diangana (Hector-Ingram '59), Browne, Hendrie (Kemp '83), Ford.
Subs: Trott, Akinola.
Terry Westley conducts his post-match talk on the pitch here at Villa Park as the home side go down the tunnel. It was a valiant effort from the Hammers, who twice equalised after falling behind. A cruel defeat.
FT: That's it at Villa Park, and the visitors have cruelly lost this one late on. We'll wait and see what that means in regards to the side's league positioning.
93: West Ham force a corner, but a header loops just over. Time is almost up at Villa Park.
90: RED! A very nasty Villa tackle leads to a confrontation of around 20 players. Eventually, Joshua Webb is shown the red card for Villa.
88: Goal! Villa may have won it. Late heartbreak here for the young Hammers as Blackett-Taylor, the sub fires through a crowd. 3-2.
86: Grealish comes off now for Villa, and Mooney comes on...the PA announcer got the last sub wrong, then...Callum O'Hare, it was, that replaced Green.
83: Subs for both sides, as Hendrie is replaced by Dan Kemp and Kelsey Mooney comes on for Andre Green.
82: PENALTY SHOUT! Hector-Ingram is brought down on the right side of the box, but the referee waves away the claims. We're high up in the stand here, but it looked like a foul... The Hammers have been hard done by there.
81: The visitors have done really well to fight their way back into this one. Dare I say it, they look more likely to go on and win it...
78: GOOOOOAAAALLLL!! There's a second for West Ham as Browne's forward pass is collected by Hector-Ingram. The winger still has a lot to do, but he stays on his feet and finishes well with his left foot! We're all square with everything to play for!
77: Davis charges down a short back-pass towards Spiegel and the keepers's clearance hits the forward. Luckily, the block goes out of play well-wide of the target.
74: Both teams are struggling to get a foothold on this one. We've over 15 minutes to play though, and the Hammers are still very much in this one.
70: Sub for Villa now. Corey Blackett-Taylor comes on as Adama Traore makes way.
65: Stoppage in play here as Reece Oxford receives treatment after a strong tackle. He's up, though, and it looks like he'll continue.
63: Dangerous break for West Ham gives Hendrie the chance to cross, but it's closed down well by Webb. Still pretty even here at Villa Park.
59: Diangana is replaced by Jahmal Hector-Ingram in West Ham's second substitution.
58: Terry Westley's men are doing their best to get back into this. They've got a free-kick on right hand side...Browne's centre goes over everyone in the middle but Reece Oxford collects after the Hammers recycle the ball. His volley goes just over!
56: Rory Hale goes close for Villa, firing just wide after being laid off 18 yards from goal.
52: Goal for the hosts. Andre Green tucks it under Spiegel after some good defending initially by Henry. 2-1.
49: The Hammers break at pace and the ball comes out to Hendrie on the left hand side of the box, but the goalscorer can't work the space for a shot.
46: The second half begins and Vashon Neufville has come on to replace Lewis Page at left-back.
HT: It's leve here as the referee's whistle goes, but it's been a good half of football despite the weather. 1-1.
44: The Hammers are pressing here! A good move gives Hendrie the opportunity to hit one goalwards, but his effort is bloked. Corner...Villa see clear the danger.
41: Great chance for Browne! Hendrie stands up a lovely back-post cross, but the forward's volley cannons down into the ground and out for a goal kick.
37: Dobson sees a gap in front of him and takes aim from 30 yards, but the right-footed effort sails wide. Certainly worth a go!
35: West Ham charge down a Kevin Toner effort from a corner and clear the danger. Still level here as we head into the final ten minutes of the first period.
31: The hosts (though unintentionally) hit the crossbar through a Traore cross.
27: It comes to nothing and Villa break, with Traore twice having good attempts at goal. One is saved superbly by Spiegel. End to end stuff here.
26: Opportunity for Ford, as he gets some space in the box before firing at a defender. Corner kick for the Hammers with Browne to take from the left...
24: It really was great work from Browne for the goal. He nipped down the right hand side and centred low - Hendrie could barely miss and the left-footer has his second Development Squad goal.
21: GOOOOAALLL! Marcus Browne gets to the byline and fires in a lovely cross to Stephen Hendrie who does the rest! The Hammers are back in this!
19: Alex Pike does superbly well to break through down the right, and his ball forward to Ford is clever, but Villa snuff out the promising attack.
16: West Ham are doing their best to get back into this game, but the puddles on the pitch are getting bigger and bigger at Villa Park, making things very tricky.
12: Goal for Aston Villa. Khalid Abdo finishes after Kienan Davis slid the ball in from the right. The weather conditions did nothing to help the Hammers then.
10: Chance! Great closing from Marcus Browne gives Sam Ford space to slide in Stephen Hendrie. His shot goes straight at Sarkic in goal, however.
8: Raphael Spiegel claims well amongst plenty of bodies after a Jack Grealish corner.
6: Lewis Page charges down the left, before George Dobson spreads a pass out wide to Grady Diangana. No chances as yet for either side.
3: It's seriously wet out there and the splashes from the turf can be seen from the stands. The Hammers have had a lot of the early possession, though.
1: We're off! The Hammers are kicking from left to right wearing their change strip of all blue tonight.
7:00pm: The lads are out the tunnel and ready to get this vital clash underway.
6:45pm: We've got just 15 minutes until kick-off, and the rain is still relentless! To remind you, West Ham are looking to secure their place in the play-offs with a win tonight. Providing other results go their way, it might not even take that much...
6:30pm: Jack Grealish and Adama Traore are both out there for the hosts tonight. It's a strong Hammers team too, with Reece Oxford captaining the lads from centre-back.
6:15pm: It's certainly a rain-soaked Villa Park this evening, as well. It's coming down in stair-rods. Let's see if the Hammers can get it down and play some good football on the slick surface like they did against Stoke City last time out.
6pm: The Hammers have arrived at Villa Park for tonight's clash against Aston Villa. It's the last U21 Premier League clash of the season, and the visitors are looking for a win to cement their place in the play-offs. Stay tuned for live updates!
Aston Villa: Sarkic, Webb, Borg, Hale, Suliman, Toner, Traore (Blackett-Taylor '70), Abdo, Davis, Grealish (Mooney '86), Green (O'Hare '83).
Subs: Leggett, Johnansson.
U21: Spiegel, Pike, Henry, Oxford, Page (Neufville '46), Dobson, Makasi, Diangana (Hector-Ingram '59), Browne, Hendrie (Kemp '83), Ford.
Subs: Trott, Akinola.