George Earthy has called on West Ham United U21s to develop a ruthless streak in front of goal.
The development side were beaten 3-2 by Brighton & Hove Albion in Premier League 2 Division 1 on Saturday. Brighton took the lead on 20 minutes before Earthy struck level for the Irons just minutes later with his first goal for the U21s.
The Seagulls had a 2-1 lead at half-time thanks to Luca Barrington, who stabbed in a low effort, but the Irons were again back level just minutes into the second-half thanks to Pierre Ekwah's penalty.
However, Brighton would get the third goal and, subsequently, all three points when Jack Hinswelwood pounced on a loose ball to poke in for the hosts.
“We weren’t good enough in the first half,” Earthy said. “We could have done a lot better and been more dominant than we were. It looked like the busy fixture schedule had caught up with us a little bit, to be honest, but we didn’t come out sharp enough against Brighton. We weren’t up to the races in the first half.
“We gave it a go in the second half. We just needed to be more ruthless. That’s what it comes down to in these types of games. You have to make the most of your chances when you’re on top. That’s what Brighton did to us, but we didn’t do it.”
The 18-year-old was thrilled to grab his first goal at U21s level, finding the top corner with a terrific finish, but admitted the final result and overall performance was more important than his personal goal tally.
The versatile midfielder is hopeful the team can find even more goals in the coming games.
“I’m buzzing to get my first Premier League 2 goal. I’m really happy to get that finish, but we just need to find a bit more in the coming games.
“We need to be more clinical in our next game, against Liverpool, if we want to get something from that game. We need to be faster, sharper and show more of what we can do.”
