West Ham’s U21s lead coach Steve Potts was ecstatic with his side’s performance in their 5-0 win against Middlesbrough.

Time and time again the youth teams show us how bright the future could be for this club. Callum Marshall was once again on fire, bagging his second hattrick of the season.

“It was not just good football the all-round performance was good,” Potts gleamed, when speaking to whufc.com. His side currently sit 3rd in the Premier League 2, moving above Boro.

“Our finishing was very good against Middlesbrough. That is so important in football that players can put the ball in the net. And we managed to do that tonight. They had a couple of chances and missed, but when we got going we were very good. The goals gave us even more confidence.”

Despite an outrageously good attacking display, the coach was eager to highlight Knightbridge’s performance between the sticks. “He made some really good saves early on at 1-0,” Potts confirmed, “that helped us get a win like this. But I thought every player was good against Middlesbrough.”

Marshall has been outstanding since joining the Academy of Football and he has managed to score 11 goals in just 7 games. But, as he’s stated before, it is not his goals that impresses the coaches the most. “What hits me is how hard he works for it,” the former Hammer declared. “He just wants to find and win the ball and he does so much for the team as well as score goals. That can never be underestimated because as he goes up the levels, it is harder to get goals. But even if he doesn’t get goals, he brings a lot and can set the tone for the team.”

It can only be a matter of time before some of these players get an opportunity in the first team. We have some of the brightest talents in the country and hopefully they go on to reach their potential in claret and blue.

By Charlie Bass