Regan Clayton believes the hard work West Ham United U21s were forced to put in during Saturday’s pre-season draw against Dagenham & Redbridge will only serve to benefit the team in the new season.
The young Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw by the National League side at Victoria Road but Mark Robson’s U21s put on a strong performance against the team filled with seasoned, experienced professionals.
The match versus the Daggers is the third time that the U21s have played a senior team during pre-season, something Clayton is anticipating will prove beneficial for the squad when the league campaign gets underway next week.
“I thought this was a good test, a good one to finish pre-season on for us,” the full-back told whufc.com. “They were physical and they made us work hard. We had to be on it defensively and also get on the ball, so it was a good test and I think we did well.
“We’ve played a few senior sides in pre-season and I think that will be really beneficial going into the season. If we can deal with their physicality and the way they want to play, then I think we can deal with anyone. Technically, on the ball, I think we’re very good.”
It was Clayton who struck the Hammers’ finish in the first half against Dagenham, completing a brilliant passing move by coolly finish after a late run into the area.
“We’ve been working on that style all week, in terms of playing it and then running forward,” he explained. “I played the ball and decided to run and get there, and got the goal.
“That’s something I want to add to my game this year, more goals and more assists. I did today and hopefully there’s more to come in the new season.”
Clayton, who put pen-to-paper on his first professional deal with West Ham over the summer, played alongside experienced first-team star Angelo Ogbonna on Saturday, with the Italian international next to the left-back in the defensive line.
Learning from the senior side defender was an immensely valuable experience for the Academy full-back.
“Playing with Ogbonna was really good. It was so good for me because he’s played all the games that he’s played in men’s football, and done so many things in the game. Talking to him, learning from him, asking him questions and playing alongside him in this game was so beneficial for me.”
Clayton’s pre-season schedule has seen him regularly feature with Mark Robson’s U21s and even train with the senior side on occasion, and the defender has enjoyed the summer campaign.
The 17-year-old believes there is a good team spirit among the U21s, who begin their 2022/23 Premier League 2 Division 1 season away to Fulham on Friday.
He added: “I think we’ve had a good pre-season. We’ve gone from strength to strength, been for camps in Scotland and Portugal, and we’ve really been learning about each other. I think it’s all coming together now and we’re all doing really well.
“We’ve done a lot on comradery and we’ve got our new phycologist Jack, who has done a lot with us – especially when we were in Portugal. You can see the benefits of that in the changing room and on the pitch. It’s really been a big help for us.”
