West Ham United U21s v Fulham U21s
Premier League 2, Rush Green Stadium, Friday 8 March 2024, 7pm GMT
West Ham United U21s will continue their Premier League 2 campaign when Fulham visit east London on Friday evening.
The young Hammers are currently second in the standings, having lost just two of their league fixtures so far.
Steve Potts’ side seek a third straight win on the bounce in all competitions following wins over Brighton & Hove Albion and Blackburn Rovers.
Read our full preview below...
Tickets...
Tickets can be purchased at the turnstiles, priced at just £3 for Adults and £1 for Under-18s.
Season Ticket Holders can attend for free.
Travel...
The postcode for Rush Green Stadium - situated at West Ham United’s first-team training ground - is RM7 0LU.
To access the ground via public transport, fans can take a train to Romford station, then board a 5, 103 or 175 bus for the 15-minute ride and get off at the Barton Avenue stop.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
Fans wishing to attend this Premier League 2 fixture by car should note that parking at Rush Green Stadium is extremely limited and cannot be guaranteed.
How To Follow..
A live stream of the fixture will be available across the Club’s website, TikTok, and YouTube channel.
A match report, highlights and reaction will also follow shortly after the full-time whistle.
Opposition…
Sat fourth in Premier League 2, Fulham will travel to east London confident of closing the gap to the top three - Arsenal, West Ham United and Spurs.
The top five teams are all London-based, with Chelsea currently fifth, meaning Fulham have, like their capital rivals, enjoyed a strong start to the 2023/24 PL2 campaign.
The young Cottagers won their last fixture 7-1, against Reading, with Adrion Pajaziti netting a hat-trick, while they have also recorded impressive wins over Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Feyenoord this season.
Player’s Perspective…
With the U21s challenging in both the Premier League International Cup and Premier League 2 heading into mid-March, George Earthy wants the young Hammers to make the most of their positive start over the next few months, starting with a home fixture against Fulham!
A recent triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion saw the development side set up a PL International Cup semi-final against PSV, while a victory away to Blackburn Rovers saw the Hammers not only maintain second place in the league, but also inch closer to leaders Spurs. The gap, at the time of writing, is a point.
The business end of the season is busy, then, for these talented youngsters, but Earthy is confident he and his teammates can keep up the good work.
“The defeat to Chelsea was a reminder of the levels we need to be at,” the attacking midfielder explained honestly, in the wake of a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers. “But we got a good result against Spurs and then topped it off with a win against Blackburn, which is not an easy place to get a good result.
“I think we struggled a bit at the start against Blackburn, but we found our feet in the game and then in the second half it was a physical battle, and it was about staying in the lead and then confirming the win with a third late on.”
The Story So Far…
The U21s are currently one point behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur, having recorded consecutive wins in all competitions.
The Hammers fell to their second defeat of the league season against Chelsea but since then have taken four points from two tricky away games against Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur.
Their last outing at Rush Green saw a 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League International Cup.
