The start of the 2023/34 EFL season saw two Academy of Football graduates make their respective debuts for their loan clubs.
Kamarai Swyer got his Crawley Town career off to a winning start as the 20-year-old came off the bench to help the side to an 1-0 win over Bradford City in their EFL League Two opener.
The home side took the advantage on 14 minutes as another new signing, Will Wright, struck an excellent free-kick from 25 yards into the bottom corner.
Bradford were reduced to ten men just before the interval when Dan Oyegoke was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Danilo Orsi.
Swyer, who joined Crawley last week, made his competitive debut on 83 minutes when he entered the fray in place of fellow forward Dom Telford, helping the side see out the win and take all three points.
Swyer was not the only Hammer loanee to make his competitive debut this past weekend, with midfielder Freddie Potts earning his first minutes for EFL League One side Wycombe Wanderers.
The 19-year-old was included in the starting XI at Adams Park but it was far from the ideal start to the 2023/24 season, with Wycombe conceding twice in the opening four minutes at home to Exeter City.
Finishes from Jack Aitchison and DT38 Foundation ambassador Will Aimson bagged the early goals for Exeter, who could have been three goals ahead had Sam Nombe converted his penalty kick on ten minutes. Exeter substitute James Scott would conclude the scoring seven minutes from time to inflict defeat on Potts and his Wycombe teammates.
Goalkeeper Krisztián Hegyi was on the bench for Stevenage for their season opener at Northampton Town. A contest of two newly-promoted teams in EFL League One, the result would fall Stevenage’s way when Carl Piergianni’s scrappy finish secured the win on 80 minutes.
Northampton would hit the post through Patrick Brough and Tyreece Simpson, before Marc Leonard came close to an equaliser for the hosts in stoppage time.
Finally, Nathan Trott and his Vejle BK fell to a heart-wrenching late defeat away to Silkeborg IF.
Goalkeeper Trott was once again in the starting XI for Friday evening’s fixture, and Vejle took the lead thanks to German Onugkha’s goal on 53 minutes.
Silkeborg, who the Hammers faced twice in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League group stages, struck back 12 minutes later as New Zealand international Callum McCowatt finished past Trott, before Alexander Lind’s winner two minutes into stoppage time.
The late loss means newly-promoted Vejle have been defeated in their first three games in the Danish Superliga this campaign.
