West Ham United Academy Manager Ricky Martin is looking forward to seeing the U21s test themselves against senior sides in this season’s Papa John’s Trophy.
The 2022/23 competition will see 16 Category One Premier League Academies pitched against the 48 first teams from EFL League One and League Two, with the Hammers development side put into Southern Section Group C against Walsall, MK Dons and Cheltenham Town.
Having not got through the group stages last season due to a points deduction, the Irons are looking to start the 2022/23 campaign with a strong performance against Walsall at Bescot Stadium on Tuesday.
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Martin said: “We’re delighted to be back in the Papa John’s Trophy this season. It was mixed fortunes last year. The team did very well but unfortunately we couldn’t progress, but we’re looking forward to being involved in the competition once again.
“It’s a great tournament for youth development and I know the Premier League has worked very hard with the EFL to ensure that there are teams from all leagues participating, and we’re very fortunate due to our ranking that we’ve got a place in this season’s competition.
“We’ve got some good games to look forward to against MK Dons and Cheltenham Town, but we’re starting with a really good test away to Walsall, which I know everyone is excited for.”
Martin highlighted the experience and maturity of the players in EFL League One and League Two as a large part of why the Academy wanted to be involved, noting how coming up against these sides will help in the U21s’ progression.
“These are going to be tough tests. There are rules in place around the players these EFL Clubs can and must play in this competition, so they must have a certain number of first-team players in the side who have played in the previous weekend’s game, or will play in the following league game.
“That means it will be a very competitive competition, and we found that last season when we went to the likes of Ipswich Town. It's this level of competition which is why we wanted to enter. We want our young players to be exposed to senior level football, because that is ultimately the next part of their journey – to make the transition to playing the men’s game.
“This is a great chance for them to play against fully established teams with plenty of EFL experience.”
Since the competition’s inception, no Academy side has reached the final, much less won the entire tournament, and Martin admitted the opportunity to be the first was a driving force for every U21s team involved.
He added: “No Academy side has ever won the Papa John’s Trophy. That’s a very big carrot out there for Academy sides. Every Academy is desperate to be the first one to win it, or even get to the Final, which is played at Wembley Stadium. For any U21s team to get to the Final at Wembley Stadium would be a fantastic achievement.
“These EFL sides take this competition very seriously because it’s a chance for them to get to Wembley as well. It will be tough for any U21 team but every Academy involved is working hard to be the first, as are we.
“We’ve got out of the group stages before and we’ve done well at that stage in the last couple of seasons. With that in mind, we know we can compete. Technically and tactically, we’ve got to be at our best and we need to show up on the night and get the points. We need to get points in each of the three games.”
