Lewis Orford could take personal pride in making his first Premier League 2 start for West Ham United U21s on Friday night, despite a disappointing defeat against Manchester City.
The young Irons were beaten 5-1 at Rush Green Stadium by league leaders Manchester City, as the Hammers fell to just their second defeat in nine league matches.
Orford, who signed his first professional contract last month, was delighted to get the opportunity to start for Mark Robson’s U21s.
“I’m very proud because it’s something that I’ve been working towards this season,” Orford told whufc.com. “I’ve been doing well with the U18s, so I was really pleased to make my first start with the U21s, especially against a really good Manchester City team.
“It was positive for me to get my first start and I thought we played well at times, despite the result.
"The score line wasn’t really a fair reflection on the match, we had lots of chances and we should have had a penalty at 2-0 but it wasn’t to be.”
The 17-year-old lined up in midfield alongside Keenan Appiah-Forson, and played 84 minutes before making way for George Earthy.
Orford enjoyed the challenge of facing the league leaders, taking a number of lessons from the game.
“It was a real learning curve for me. It was a real step up for me and the pace of the match was much faster than I’m used to, especially as we played against Manchester City.
"It was a real test in midfield, they passed the ball quickly and precisely, but now I know the level that I need to play at if I’m selected to play again.
“The intensity of the match is a real step up from U18s football, obviously the players are a bit older and more physical. You can’t afford to make mistakes due to the pace of the match and the opposition. It was an even match if you look at the stats but they took their chances and we didn’t. That made the difference on the night.”
After a superb start to the season with Kevin Keen’s U18s, who sit top of U18 Premier League South, Orford is looking forward to ending the season positively and is determined to feature more regularly for the U21s in the upcoming months.
“I just want to keep pushing. I’ve had a good season so far. We've got an FA Youth Cup semi-final coming up with the U18s, which I’m really looking forward to.
“That’s something that I’m really focused on but I’m also keen to play more for the U21s in the next few months. I want to be in the squad regularly, start matches and keep improving.”
