West Ham’s U21’s are through to the Premier League International Cup quarter finals after a 3-0 victory against Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb last night at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Victory for the Hammers last night was their third straight win in all competitions after booking their place in the quarter finals of the competition.
West Ham’s youngsters were 1-0 up against Zagreb’s U21’s just five minutes in after Brazilian centre back Luizao’s header from an Ollie Scarles corner gave them the lead.
With a number of chances in the first half, West Ham could well have gone into halftime with a bigger lead.
Steve Potts’ side continued their dominance after the halftime break. Substitute Kamarai Swyer played a hand in the next two goals, assisting both Junior Robinson and Sean Moore, with West Ham extending their lead to 3-0 15 minutes into the second half.
The 3-0 win helped West Ham keep their third clean sheet of the Premier League International Cup. The U21’s picked up a point against French side Olympique Lyon and have secured wins against Celtic, Valencia, and Dinamo Zagreb.
Seventeen year old defender Ezra Mayers, who signed his first professional contract with West Ham just a couple of weeks ago, made his debut for the U21 side last night having been subbed on in the second half. Speaking to the club’s Official Website after the game, Mayers was very pleased to have made his U21 debut.
Mayers said: “It was nice to play a competitive game for the U21’s for the first time.” Going on to add: “It is a big step up from the U18’s and a bit of a different environment. It’s good to get those words of advice and encouragement from the senior boys in the group.”
The U21’s are currently sat 2nd in the Premier League 2 table with just one defeat from their opening 12 games. Steve Potts’ side return to league action next Friday as they take on 12th placed Chelsea.
Written by Finlay Jackson
