Right now, West Ham United U21s are flying. Since the October international break, it has been perfect for Steve Potts’ men.
Fourteen goals, four clean sheets and, most importantly, four wins mean the U21s are a buoyant camp as they head into the November break.
As such, the U21s are not in competitive action until the end of the month, having topped their Bristol Street Motors Trophy group with a 4-0 win at Cheltenham Town last time out.
A gap between fixtures gives Potts some time to reflect on his side’s start to the season and why the U21s must keep the winning momentum as 2023/24 continues...
I always believed this group of players could reach the [Bristol Street Motors Trophy] knockouts.
I think the first game was the key to it. Bristol Rovers away was a tough game for us, but as soon as we came through that you start to look at it and think you need one win from two to get through. To get wins in both [at Newport County and Cheltenham] was brilliant, though. So fair play to the boys.
Sometimes, as has happened in the last few games, it has not been as straightforward as the scoreline has suggested.
The way the boys are attacking the game is what we a trying to do, and be aggressive, get after the ball, and set the tone from that point of view. When we are getting chances to go at opposition we are looking to attack them quickly. Against Cheltenham, that was the case. We got after the ball and we had opportunities which we took too.
The boys give a lot in training each day.
We give them a little bit of structure in terms of how we want to play but ultimately it is down to them it terms of what they put in. That’s the thing that has got me is how hard this group works to get the performances and the results. What they have got to do is keep that workrate to get better and better.
My whole thought process was to try and get out of the group to get another test against league opposition.
Who knows how we will get on after that? But my main focus was trying to get a fixture against a league team, in a stadium, and with a few people watching. That’s what the tournament is all about and hopefully, we can give them that experience.
It is just a case of trying to keep pushing the players to improve and get to where they want to get to.
They want to be professional footballers. And that is not easy nowadays. They have got to keep coming in each day and working at their game, trying to get better and better. But so far that is what they have done this season.
This group of U21s are a very good all-round group.
People ask me questions. Who’s the one? Who’s the next one that’s going to make it? But, honestly, it’s a hard answer to give and a player to pick because there are a number of them who have got real chances!
