West Ham United U23 host Reading U23 on Friday night looking to maintain their impressive start to the season under new Lead Coach Dmitri Halajko.
The young Hammers go into the game in red-hot form, having avoided defeat in six pre-season friendlies before winning the opening two matches of their Premier League 2 Division 2 campaign.
Having produced a dominant performance to defeat Fulham U23 by three goals to nil in their season opener a fortnight ago, the young Hammers made the long trip to Tyneside last weekend and showed impressive resilience to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Newcastle U23.
Tireless midfielder Joe Powell has been instrumental to the high-tempo passing and pressing system employed by Halajko’s side so far this season, playing in all but one match under the new manager so far.
After the U23s snatched a late equaliser in an exciting friendly against Brentford ‘B’ on Tuesday night to extend their good run, Powell spoke candidly, attributing such success so far to Halajko’s trust in his players to implement his footballing philosophy.
“There’s nothing better than a gaffer that believes in you, trusts in a team, and wants you to give everything – and we do for him,” Powell said.
“We press high, and then when we win it back, we attack straight away. We’re a footballing side first and foremost, so we like to get the ball down and play and pass it around a lot. It’s the best style for us and we’re all enjoying ourselves massively.”
One of the teams Powell faced with the U23 side during pre-season was Reading U23 – tonight’s Premier League 2 Division 2 opponents at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.
The Hammers won that behind-closed-doors friendly 2-1 at the end of July, but Powell is expecting that result to have little bearing on tonight’s contest.
He said: “Now Reading have seen a little bit of us in pre-season, and how we play, and the way we exploited them, I’m sure they’ll try and bring something a little bit different to Friday’s game.
“There’s nothing to say, however, that with the ability we’ve got in the side, we can’t counteract that and go and beat them again.”
Tuesday’s friendly against Brentford ‘B’ not only pitted the U23s against senior opposition – Brentford ‘B’ fielded first-team players such as Dru Yearwood, Kamohelo Mokotjo and Joel Valencia in their starting line-up – but also allowed a number of West Ham U18 scholars to enjoy their first taste of U23-level football.
Powell has been on a similar journey to those players through the Academy of Football, joining the Hammers as a schoolboy and working his way up through the age-group sides.
Having captained both the U18s and U23s in the process, he was full of appreciation for the opportunity to help progress these players that the friendly match represented.
“It was a massive opportunity for every single player – in both squads,” he said.
“It’s very important to get into a regular playing rhythm. These kinds of games help us get that feel for playing two games in a week, which is very important.
“Playing against a few Brentford first-team players and a few more experienced players also gives us, as young players, a little bit more of an understanding of what it’s like to play league football.”
If the U23s can continue their run of fine form, future opportunities might not be too far away for many of West Ham’s young talents.
Following tonight’s visit of Reading, West Ham United U23s continue their Premier League 2 Division 2 campaign next Friday 30 August at a stadium none other than Old Trafford, where they will take on Manchester United U23.
