At half-time in West Ham United U21s’ 2023 finale, their 15-game unbeaten run looked to be coming to an end.
The Hammers trailed 1-0 against Crystal Palace, although the development squad had other ideas.
Five goals – netted by five different second-half scorers – saw the U21s conclude 2023 with a 5-1 win over Crystal Palace and move 16 games unbeaten.
As it stands, then, the U21s are second in the league, have reached the Bristol Street Motors last 16, and have made good steps towards the Premier League International Cup latter stages as well.
It is a case of so far so good for the U21s, although lead coach Steve Potts is focused on what comes next.
First up, the U21s have a chance to reach the last eight of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy against Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night…
It has been a really enjoyable five months for us!
The boys are always coming in each day and striving to get better and better. They appreciate the importance of team ethic, so I have enjoyed coaching them and watching them throw everything at it. Sometimes, you are standing on the sideline and thinking: ‘Wow’. It has been that good. They have shown they’re a very talented group of players, but we want more and more of that.
I am pleased with how everyone has gone about their football in the first part of the season.
I think they have all done well. Callum has obviously got a lot of headlines because of the goals he has got and, of course, it is not easy to be Player of the Month in this competition, so credit to him. But there have been a lot of good performers this year, for sure!
I think all-round the boys have done well and I don’t really want to pick out any particular player.
If anyone asks me who is the one out of the group, it is still a very tough one to pick because who knows? I will be intrigued to see how their careers pan out because there is a number in this group that can have very good careers. And we hope that they do!
My backroom staff, I can't speak highly enough of them!
Like the players, they’re here to work hard, and they do that brilliantly. We spend a lot of time together, but we all get on well. There is good atmosphere on and off the pitch – and I think that is really important.
So far, the Bristol Street Motors trophy has been a great opportunity for the boys to play against senior opposition.
Our thought when we were in the group was: ‘Can we get them another game?’. And then when we got to the knockouts it was: ‘Can we do that again?’ Because we want them to test them against seniors to see how they handle the pressure, the stadium, and the crowd. They’ve done that well so far, but it is a big test to come against Wycombe Wanderers in the next round.
