George Earthy explains just how much scoring his first Premier League goal for West Ham meant to him.

As a fan, you always want to see the youth come through. Seeing them working towards their potential is always great, but it means even more when they support the club too.

George Earthy hasn’t had the easiest time leading up to his goal against Luton. While he was always one of the highest rated prospects in the academy, there were concerns about whether he could make the step up in terms of physicality that is required when playing professionally. Unfortunately, this has led to him getting his chance to shine a bit later than his ability probably merited.

When he made his debut less than a month ago, he quickly impressed with his desire to get on the ball and his quick passing. However, it ended in tragedy after he collided with Edson Alvarez, a collision which caused him to go unconscious and be rushed to hospital. Thankfully, he made a full recovery and it clearly has only pushed him on further.

The passion he portrayed after his excellent movement in the box allowed him to poke home a world-class assist from Kudus is exactly what the crowd wanted to see. Although it would be difficult for any youngster, he tried his best to sum up what was going through his head when he scored.

“To be honest I was nervous [when I was about to come on]. Obviously, last time I was out there I came on, done alright but then obviously got knocked out,” he laughed. “I was absolutely buzzing to be back out there again in front of all the fans.”

“We’re breaking and I’m just hoping that the ball comes over to me because obviously I want to score. Mo’s so good at dribbling so I knew he was going to get past [the defender], and just instinctively I get in front of the defenders and score.”

He summarised the feeling of scoring as just “pure emotion,” stating that “it’s a dream come true.”

“I’ve been here since I was 6,” the 19-year-old explained, “constantly playing at the academy, having a season ticket – it’s a lifelong dream! I couldn’t believe it, it’s still a blur really. So so happy to score in front of these fans, the best in the world.”

He’s been doing everything right off the pitch for a long time, now he’s seized his opportunity with both hands. The future is extremely bright for Earthy and, hopefully, this is just the beginning for him and some of the other academy of football prospects as West Ham head into a new era.