Will Greenidge says it has been a good pre-season for both West Ham United U21s as a collective, and himself personally, with the 2022/23 campaign just days away from kicking-off.
The development squad will open the new Premier League 2 Division 1 season away to Fulham on Friday, having faced senior sides including Ebbsfleet United, Stevenage and, most recently, Dagenham & Redbridge during the pre-season schedule.
For Greenidge, the tests against these teams – filled with experienced professionals – has put the U21s in good stead ahead of the season opener.
For the defender personally, a consistent pre-season was much needed as well after a period somewhat disrupted by injury.
“I think it’s been a good pre-season,” he told whufc.com. “As a team, we’ve come together a lot. We’ve had two trips away, which we’ve missed in the last couple of years due to coronavirus. That allowed us to get some really good work in and, with the games we’ve had against some very strong men’s teams, it’s been a good pre-season for us.
“For me personally as well, it was good to get a full pre-season in. I haven’t missed much at all which I’m happy about. It’s been a good one.
“We’re ready now for the start of the season. We played Fulham at the back end of last season in the Premier League Cup and they beat us, so we’re maybe looking for a little bit of revenge and start the new campaign in the right way.”
Regan Clayton gave the Irons the advantage at Victoria Road on Saturday against Dagenham & Redbridge with a well-worked finish, but the result was ultimately honours even after Angelo Ogbonna’s unfortunate own-goal.
Greenidge noted that the young Hammers took a lot from their final pre-season outing of the summer.
“It was a good test against a strong Dagenham & Redbridge team. Physically, it was what we wanted. We want to test ourselves against stronger teams. I think we did well, especially in the first half, and we played some really good football.
“In the second half, they made a few changes and got onto us a bit more. It was a good work out for us in the end.
“It definitely helps to play against these men’s team. If, for example, you were going to go out on loan – which might be the next step for a few of us in this squad – then these are the types of teams you would be playing against.
“You need to show that you can stand up against them and do well, which I think we’ve done on most occasions. We showed it against Dagenham & Redbridge.”
