Live: Dev Squad 2-0 Brighton & HA U21
FT: There's the full time whistle, the Hammers deserve their first win of 2016! Reaction to follow shortly.
90+2: Djair Parfitt-Williams has ben superb today and his trickery wins his side another free-kick. Clever play from the winger, a real candidate for Man of the Match.
90: Into the final exchanges now and the Hammers are value for their lead. It looks like a first win of 2016, and their unbeaten run extends to seven matches! COYI!
87: Phenomenal save by Spiegel! He clearly wants to keep that clean sheet! Dessie Hutchinson fires forcefully and it looks as though he can't miss yet the giant Swiss makes himself big and saves superbly.
85: Late substitutes for West Ham, replacing Reece Oxford is Manny Onariase and of comes Alex Song to be replaced by George Dobson.
82: An excellent save by Maenpaa denies the Hammers a third goal, Lee did everything right but the goalkeeper came out of nowhere to keep his side in the contest.
80: Not long to go now, surely the Hammers will hold on and secure their first win of 2016!
78: GOAL! The Hammers have scored, again a header from an Alex Song free-kick. This time Reece Oxford rises highest to head it home. 2-0!
77: Reece Brown has been lively all night, he looks good on the ball and has a great range of passing. The Hammers win yet another free-kick in a dangerous position...
74: Following a lovely combination of passes, Chambers bursts forward and carries it 50 yards onto the edge of the Brighton box, he passes it to Lee who shoots from distance which doesn't threaten Maenpaa.
71: Good counter-attacking move starts with Song who feeds Hendrie who bursts down the left and tries his luck from the edge of the box. His effort is smoothered by the defender.
69: Free-kick for the Hammers in a dangerous position unfortunately comes to nothing as the cross hits the wall. Brighton venture forward in search of the equaliser but it too comes to nothing.
65: Jaanai Gordon comes on in place of Joe Powell in a like-for-like swap.
61: Spiegel again makes another fine save, this time from a looping cross-come-shot which looked like it was creeping under the bar. Good work from the bigman!
58: Alex Song fires in another free-kick, it's got plenty of pace and Oxford's effort flies over the bar.
56: Just like the first half, it took the Hammers a little while to settle into the game, however now they are really asserting their dominance, trying to control possession.
54: Having said that, Powell does superbly well to burst down the right-flank and forces Niki Maenpaa into a fantastic save.
51: The game yet to spark into life as yet. Both teams are just trying to work eachother out.
49: Oxford plays a searching ball forward for Hendrie to run onto yet he is flagged for offside, it must've been tight!
46: We're back underway here at Rush Green, Lee and Cullen with the re-start, no changes as yet.
There's the half-time whistle and the Hammers take a deserved 1-0 lead into the break.
45: GOAL!! Djair Parfitt-Williams heads into the far corner following a well-worked free-kick between Cullen and Song. 1-0!
45: Cynical foul on Knoyle...which the Hammers use to their advantage!
43: More typically combative running from Cullen which creates an opening however Brown is closed down by two Seagull defenders. Down the other end, Oxford makes a superb sliding block.
40: Five minutes left to play of the half, plenty of hard work and effort but little by way of clear cut chances.
36: What a ball that is by Josh Cullen, defence-splittingly brilliant. The purr from the crowd said it all, Payet-like. Unfortunately the chance came to nothing.
33: The Hammers are still in search of the opening goal and they look the more likely however Brighton are staying solid and proving hard to break down.
29: Superb cross from Parfitt-Williams outwide on the right flank. Powell attacks it well but in nestles narrowly wide.
27: After their early spell of dominace the Hammers fought their way into the game. Again, Lee goes close at the near post before Parfitt-Williams' effort is charged down.
24: How did that not go in? Reece Brown does superbly by baring down on the defence which parts like the sea. He feeds Alex Song, unusually far forward, yet somehow he blazes over.
22: Again Hendrie does well, this time getting to the byline and feeding Lee who wriggles past his man yet Brighton manage clear it at the last.
19: Leo Chambers executes an inch-perfect sliding tackle to deny Daniel Akindayini. From the corner, a goalmouth scramble ensues which is eventually cleared.
16: Jack Harper attempts an audacious outside of the boot ball over the defence yet Oxford is equal to it. Moments later Hendrie does superbly to keep possession, under pressure he headed it out of a tight corner with three men chasing.
13: Tom Dallison goes close with another header from a corner yet it falls harmlessly wide. Brighton will be pleased with the start they've made nonetheless.
10: Josh Cullen whips in a wonderful delivery which Dylan Barnett does well to deal with, Brighton again look to break yet they are halted as Song is penalised for a foul, he cannot believe the decision!
7: Down the other end, Reece Oxford takes a fierce shot right where it hurts, he plays on but that took the wind out of him. Frantic start.
6: Knoyle fizzes in a superb cross toward Elliot Lee who gets infront of his man and heads goalward yet Niki Maenpaa saves well.
3: Early pressure from the hosts as Raphael Spiegel is forced into a fantastic save to deny a header from a corner. That was an excellent save! The resulting corner is cleared.
1: Reece Oxford leads his team out with Alex Song limbering up at the back. The Hammers are in their traditional claret and blue while the visitors Brighton are in luminous yellow, they get us under way kicking right to left.
18.50: Tonight we are joined by very special guests from our Dutch partners VVV Venlo, manager Maurice Steijn is in the stands tonight as part of a week long tour.
18.45: It's a chilly night here at Rush Green, however that hasn't deterred the fans. As ever, a healthy audience has packed into Rush Green for the first U21 game of 2016! Here's hoping the young Hammers can maintain there superb form, they're currently six games unbeaten, having won five of those matches.
18.30: As you'll no doubt have noted, Alex Song is in the starting XI tonight. Another slightly less familiar name is Reece Brown who is currently on trial at West Ham.
Hello and welcome to tonight's encounter between West Ham United's Development Squad and Brighton & Hove Albion, the team news is in...
U21: Spiegel, Knoyle, Hendrie, Song, Chambers, Oxford (c), Browne, Cullen, Parfitt-Williams, Lee. R. Brown, Powell (Gordon 65)
Subs: Onariase, Howes (GK), Pike, Dobson
Brighton U21: Maenpaa, Hunt, Barnett, Collar, Barclay, Dallison, Monakana, Hutchinson, Akindayini, Harper, Tilley
Subs: Harris, Vose (GK), Molumby, Deen, Marguire-Drew
Referee: Lee Venamore