West Ham United U21s v Leicester City U21s
Premier League 2 Division 1, Rush Green Stadium, Friday 28 April, 7pm BST
West Ham United U21s will play their final home match of the 2022/23 season against Leicester City on Friday.
Mark Robson’s Irons will welcome the Foxes to Rush Green Stadium in their last home Premier League 2 match of the campaign on Friday 28 April, with kick-off set for 7pm BST.
The development side go into the match on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Liverpool last weekend; a result that leaves the U21s without a victory in their last three league matches.
The young Hammers sit twelfth in the 14-team league on 25 points, just one point outside the relegation zone. Thirteenth-placed Tottenham Hotspur are one points behind the Irons with two matches left to play.
The Irons will go away to Tottenham next weekend but must first take on a Leicester City team who, following defeat to Everton last time out, have confirmed their own relegation from Division 1. Nonetheless, the visitors will be eager to claim wins in their final matches and conclude the campaign on a high.
Read on for all you need to know regarding Friday’s Premier League 2 fixture…
Tickets…
Admittance to this Premier League 2 fixture is free for West Ham United Season Ticket Holders. Proof of Season Ticket status must be shown upon entry to Rush Green Stadium.
Tickets can also be purchased on the door, priced at £5 for Adults and £1 for U16s. Gates will open an hour before kick-off.
Travel…
Fans wishing to attend this U21s fixture by car should note that parking at Rush Green Stadium, situated at West Ham United's first-team training ground, is extremely limited and cannot be guaranteed. The postcode for Rush Green Stadium is RM7 0LU.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before travel, with resources such as TfL's Journey Planner or the TfL Go app helping to plan your journey.
Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website to plan their journey if traveling on the rail network.
How To Follow…
We are delighted to confirm that Friday’s Premier League 2 match between the Hammers and Leicester City will be available to watch via live stream.
The stream will commence five minutes before kick-off, at 6.55pm, and will be available on the Club’s YouTube channel.
Fans will also be able to follow all the action from the match in our live blog at whufc.com, which will begin one hour before kick-off, at 6pm.
Match updates, including goals, will also be available as they happen on our Twitter feed.
Highlights from the Premier League 2 game will be made available after the match at whufc.com and on the YouTube channel shortly after, as will exclusive reaction from the fixture.
Team News…
Lead coach Mark Robson will be eager to have as near a full contingent available as possible for Friday’s league outing.
Oliver Scarles was forced off in the first half against Liverpool due to injury but the versatile 17-year-old recovered in time to feature for the U18s in the FA Youth Cup final against Arsenal, and should be available if needed.
Similarly, U21s regulars Divin Mubama, George Earthy, Kaelan Casey and Regan Clayton also played in Tuesday’s final at the Emirates Stadium and could be selected for Friday’s league fixture.
Junior Robinson and Michael Forbes have been unavailable in recent weeks due to injury lay-offs.
Opposition…
Unfortunately for Leicester City, their run in Premier League 2 Division 1 will come to an end this season.
The Foxes sustained a 4-1 home defeat last time out which confirmed their relegation to Division 2 for the 2023/24 campaign.
With 15 points from 23 games played, Leicester now can only catch Tottenham Hotspur in 13th place, and will need to claim maximum points and hope that Spurs lose both of their remaining two matches to have a chance of not finishing bottom of the division.
Victories have been tough to come by for Leicester. Their 3-2 win over Manchester United ten days ago was their first league win since the end of August, and only the third in Premier League 2 this campaign.
Those other two wins were a 4-0 thrashing of Blackburn Rovers, and a defeat of the Irons in the reserve fixture by a 3-1 score-line.
Of course, with the pressure of fighting against relegation now no longer a force on the Leicester City players’ shoulders, the opportunity to play without fear is upon them. And they face a Hammers team who are in need of points too, having picked up one in the last three matches.
Thirteen different players have found the net for Leicester U21s this season, with winger Tawanda Maswanhise leading the way with eight goals this campaign. The 20-year-old has also provided three assists in 24 appearances in all competitions.
