Mark Robson was full of praise for his side’s effort in defeat as West Ham United U21s were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea.
Despite an overall fantastic performance from the home side, the Irons just could not find the back of the net against their west London opponents on Saturday, with Chelsea finding the only goal of the game through Lewis Hall’s early second-half finish.
The Blues ended the match with ten men as Josh Brooking was sent off in the closing exchanges, while the Hammers went close through Ollie Scarles, Callum Marshall and Divin Mubama at Rush Green Stadium.
Despite the loss, Robson was happy with his team’s showing.
“We continued our performance from the MK Dons game and I was really, really pleased with the performance from the lads,” the lead coach told whufc.com. “I thought we played some really good football. We looked in control for the majority of the game.
“It just came down to the final third. We’ve got goalscorers in the team though and we know we will get goals, and I’ve got no doubt that they will come sooner rather than later. But it just didn’t quite come off in this game.”
The Irons lined up with a new formation against Chelsea, playing three centre-backs and two strikers in a 3-5-2 shape.
Robson believes the team are feeling the benefits of the tactical change.
“We’ve changed our shape and it’s something I maybe should have thought about a few games back. We’ve had a look at it now and we’ve played well in this shape.
“I think a few of the younger lads are used to it because they played in it last season and some of the older ones understand the shape because they played in it before I joined the Club. The personnel we have has suited it well and we’ve had a couple of really good games with it.”
Defender Kaelan Casey came into the U21s’ starting XI for the first time in Saturday’s match, and Robson was thrilled with how the youngster performed on his first start at Premier League 2 level.
He continued: “Kaelan has been playing very well for the U18s and every time I’ve spoken to Kevin Keen, he’s told me how well Kaelan has been doing. He has trained quite a bit with us as well, and he is somebody who has been knocking on the door.
“He got his opportunity in this game, with Levi Laing suspended, which gave him a chance to come into the team and I think he took his chance really well. He got a little bit of cramp at the end, which will be down to the levels and the physicality of the U21s, but I thought he did really well.”
A very quick turnaround awaits the young Irons as PSV Eindhoven await West Ham in the Premier League International Cup on Tuesday, as part of a hectic October schedule for the development team.
Robson is relishing the prospect of matches every three days as his side begin preparations for their next match.
“We’re looking forward to Tuesday. The programme for the lads this season is great. In terms of what it looks like for these boys, this is what’s going to look like in the EFL if they go out on loan. It will be games every Saturday and every Tuesday and they need to be used to that. So, I think this busy schedule is really good for them.
“In terms of their development, the fixture quantity is something that has been perhaps lacking in Premier League 2 in the last few years, so we’re excited for all the games to come. It’s a tough time for these boys but a challenge I think they’re taking well to.”
