Kevin Nolan joined a host of first-team players to cheer on West Ham United's Under-18s as they safely booked their passage through to the FA Youth Cup fifth round.

The skipper, along with Academy graduates Mark Noble, Freddie Sears, James Tomkins and Jack Collison, took time out of their preparations for Saturday's trip to Portsmouth to support the youngsters as they ran out 4-1 winners against Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday evening.

While the Hammers captain was impressed by what he saw on the night from Tony Carr's side, his focus quickly swtiched back to first-team affairs and getting three points at Fratton Park.

"The mood's been great this week," Nolan told West Ham TV. "We're disappointed about going out of the FA Cup last weekend but the league is our bread and butter and it's about us making sure we get promoted and we've got to get back. All of the lads have been really fresh and are looking good and being upbeat and looking forward to trying to get the right result on Saturday."

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Nolan was particularly impressed with the way Rob Hall and Dan Potts seamlessly stepped back in to youth-team action, after featuring for the first team on Sunday at Sheffield Wednesday.

"The boys were brilliant and had a very good start. When you've got Rob Hall and Pottsy, who dropped down from the weekend, you come here hoping that they are professional and do it the right way. They were both magnificent as well as the rest of the team.

"It always difficult when you play at Hillsborough in front of thousands and thousands of people and then you come to the Boleyn where there aren't so many. It was a good test of their mentality and temperament and both of them responded fantastically well. Nick Haycock and Tony Carr have been brilliant and I thought the lads were fantastic and thoroughly deserved their win."