George Earthy was pleased that West Ham United U21s were able to secure victory in their penultimate Premier League 2 Division 1 match of the season.
The Hammers beat already relegated Leicester City 2-0 at Rush Green Stadium on Friday evening, with Earthy and Divin Mubama both getting the goals inside the first 20 minutes in east London to set the side on their way to picking up an important three points.
The result puts the Hammers eleventh in the 14-team league, three points above next week’s opponents, Tottenham Hotspur, and ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal difference.
Earthy believes that Friday’s victory relieves some of the pressure heading into the last game of the season.
“We knew coming into this game that we had to get a win tonight, so we’re all really pleased that we were able to do so,” the 18-year-old told whufc.com.
"It was important that we got it because of the situation that we’re in, but the boys did the job tonight and managed to get what I’m sure will be a really important three points.
"To get the two goals so early on really helped us, it took some of the pressure away. We said in the changing room that we needed to make sure that we came out of the blocks quickly, so credit to the boys."
The win with the U21s caps off a great week for Earthy, who helped the U18s triumph against Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup final earlier this week.
The midfielder scored the opening goal for West Ham United at the Emirates, and he did so again three days later, this time for Mark Robson’s team in another important fixture.
“Everything is going really well at the moment,” Earthy beamed. “To win the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday was amazing, to come here tonight and get a really important win for the U21s and then tomorrow (Saturday 29 April) we lift the league trophy with the U18s.
“It’s been a pretty surreal week to be honest. There were four of us who started tonight that started in the Youth Cup game, and I’m sure I speak for them when I say that it’s hard when you’re playing two games in such a short space of time.
"But that’s what you have to do when you’re a footballer, you go from one massive high and then you’re right back into the next game. It was one job done on Tuesday, we’ve got the job done tonight, and now we look forward to next weekend’s game against Tottenham.”
The U21s head into next Sunday’s game against Spurs knowing that everything is in their hands after the win over the Foxes.
Earthy says that the team are fully prepared for a tough test on the final day, but are pleased to be heading into the finale of the Premier League 2 season with control over their own destiny.
“We knew that we had to be going into the Tottenham game having got three points against Leicester. It eases the pressure a little bit knowing that everything is in our own hands.
“It’s still going to be a really tough match, but we know what we have to do and I’m confident that the team can do it,” he concluded.
