Avid West Ham fan Dave Clements looks ahead to Monday’s U21 final with Hull City
Avid West Ham fan Dave Clements looks ahead to Monday’s U21 final with Hull City, the final Final at the Boleyn Ground
Like everyone connected to the Academy, and more widely the Club, I cannot wait for Monday’s final.
I’ll never forget the atmosphere at the FA Youth Cup final in 1999, officially the attendance was about 25,000, but I’m sure there was more in than that. It certainly felt like it!
It is hard to compare that side to the current team, but there’s no doubt that this is certainly a very talented group of players.
It really has been a whole squad effort, not just a handful of players. Everyone has pulled their weight, and it hasn’t mattered who has come in because everyone knows what they need to do.
In the early rounds, Jaanai Gordon, Leo Chambers and Kyle Knoyle, all now out on loan, put in good performances as did Djair Parfitt-Williams, scoring in the first three rounds.
I have to mention the fantastic contribution that Reece Oxford, George Dobson and Josh Cullen have made. They’ve played every minute of every game and form a real spine of the team. Not only are they good footballers but they wear their hearts on their sleeves, which is what every West Ham fan loves to see.
Throughout this campaign, there’s been a great togetherness, as witnessed in the semi-final against Liverpool. Everyone really works hard for each other, and as a result the quality of football they like to play has been really good to watch.
Having just missed out on the play offs, the focus on the cup is massive. I don’t know much about Hull City, we haven’t played them for a while, so it’s hard to know what to expect, but they must be at least half decent to have got to the final!
On the night, anything could happen but I’m confident we’ll win; it would be nice to take a two goal advantage up to their place and over two legs I think we’ll have enough quality.
I would just like to wish all the boys the best of luck, they deserve it after all their hard work. I’d also encourage every West Ham to get down to the Boleyn on Monday for the match. It’s going to be another fantastic night!
COYI!
Dave
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United
Like everyone connected to the Academy, and more widely the Club, I cannot wait for Monday’s final.
I’ll never forget the atmosphere at the FA Youth Cup final in 1999, officially the attendance was about 25,000, but I’m sure there was more in than that. It certainly felt like it!
It is hard to compare that side to the current team, but there’s no doubt that this is certainly a very talented group of players.
It really has been a whole squad effort, not just a handful of players. Everyone has pulled their weight, and it hasn’t mattered who has come in because everyone knows what they need to do.
In the early rounds, Jaanai Gordon, Leo Chambers and Kyle Knoyle, all now out on loan, put in good performances as did Djair Parfitt-Williams, scoring in the first three rounds.
I have to mention the fantastic contribution that Reece Oxford, George Dobson and Josh Cullen have made. They’ve played every minute of every game and form a real spine of the team. Not only are they good footballers but they wear their hearts on their sleeves, which is what every West Ham fan loves to see.
Throughout this campaign, there’s been a great togetherness, as witnessed in the semi-final against Liverpool. Everyone really works hard for each other, and as a result the quality of football they like to play has been really good to watch.
Having just missed out on the play offs, the focus on the cup is massive. I don’t know much about Hull City, we haven’t played them for a while, so it’s hard to know what to expect, but they must be at least half decent to have got to the final!
On the night, anything could happen but I’m confident we’ll win; it would be nice to take a two goal advantage up to their place and over two legs I think we’ll have enough quality.
I would just like to wish all the boys the best of luck, they deserve it after all their hard work. I’d also encourage every West Ham to get down to the Boleyn on Monday for the match. It’s going to be another fantastic night!
COYI!
Dave
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United