Academy

Preview: U21s EFL Trophy campaign continues at Newport County

30th October 2023

Newport County v West Ham United U21s
EFL Trophy, Rodney Parade, Tuesday 31 October, 7.30pm

West Ham United U21s continue their EFL Trophy campaign with a trip to Newport County on Tuesday evening.

The Hammers started their cup campaign with an impressive 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers last time out in the competition in September.

The last time they travelled to Rodney Parade the U21s overturned a three-goal deficit to beat Newport County 5-4 in 2019.

The U21s will reach the knockouts for the first time since 2020/21 should they take all three points from their travels.

Potts: EFL Trophy fixtures are important tests for this group

Experience against a football league side is a vital part of the U21s’ development this season, according to lead coach Steve Potts.

The U21s head to Rodney Parade looking to take another step towards a place in the last 32.

“It will be a big challenge, but this is what we want for the boys,” Potts explained. “The aim is to hopefully get out of the group and keep getting these chances to play against league teams.

“They should be confident after the Bristol Rovers game, but we are realistic to know that we went 1-0 down in that game and they had a chance to make it 2-0 too. So, that game could have gone the other way.

“I always look at these games from our point of view, though. Of course, we look at the opposition and their strengths, but we look to focus on us and what we are all about.

“If we are not right first of all, then the results aren’t going to be right for us. We’ve got to make sure we are spot on to start with if we want to get another positive result.”

Chesters: We’ll have to be on it in against League opponents

Dan Chesters expects a difficult test on Tuesday but can take confidence having played league football last season.

Chesters returned from a loan from EFL League Two outfit Colchester United for the second half of the season and has attacked this campaign with an impressive run of form.

The young Hammers are nine games unbeaten and could qualify for the knockouts for with a win at Newport on Tuesday.

“It will be a physical game,” Chesters said. “They will try to dominate us off the ball and in the air, but hopefully we can take our style of football and try and keep the ball on the floor.

“They have been playing that league for a while, so they know all the tricks. It would be great to reach the knockouts and I think we can do that – we have a great group of lads here.

“Against Middlesbrough, we showed what we can do. The result against Bristol Rovers gives us confidence. We played really well. In the second half, we dominated the ball and took our chances when we got them and hopefully, we can do that again on Tuesday.”

How did we do in the competition last year?

Since entering for the first time in 2016/17, when a 17-year-old Declan Rice started our inaugural tie at Coventry City, the furthest the U21s have gone in the competition was the Southern section round of 16, which the young Irons reached in 2017/18 and 2020/21.

Last season, West Ham United U21s finished on six points alongside the top two in Group C but, even after memorable wins over Cheltenham Town and Walsall, were eliminated from the 2022/23 edition on goal difference.

Who else will we play in the EFL trophy in 2023/24?

After Bristol Rovers and Newport County, our group-stage finale will be at EFL League One Cheltenham Town on Tuesday 7 November.

As per competition rules, West Ham play all three group matches away from home, with the top two in each of the 16 groups going through to the knockout stages.

Tuesday 19 September - Bristol Rovers 1-3 West Ham United U21s (Marshall x2, Earthy)

Tuesday 31 October - Newport County (A), 7.30pm

Tuesday 7 November - Cheltenham Town (A), 7.30pm

Last Time Out

West Ham United U21s produced a stunning comeback to beat EFL League One outfit Bristol Rovers 3-1 in the EFL Trophy and record a sixth straight win in all competitions.