Arsenal U21 vs West Ham United U21

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11/08/2023

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Arsenal U21s v West Ham United U21s
Premier League 2, Meadow Park, Friday 11 August 2023, 7pm BST

West Ham United U21s will start their 2023/24 Premier League 2 campaign with a trip to Arsenal on Friday 11 August.

The Irons will travel to Meadow Park to play their London rivals, who finished in seventh place last campaign.

Having returned from a pre-season tour to Murcia last week, our U21s will take confidence following a 2-0 win over Canvey Island on Tuesday.

Both lead coach Mark Robson and midfielder Patrick Kelly are ready for the challenge to come against the Gunners.

Read on for all you need to know about Friday's fixture:

Patrick Kelly ready for PL2 challenge

One of the hatful of players to make the permanent step towards Premier League 2 football this season is Patrick Kelly.

The Northern Irish midfielder played in five matches our U18s' FA Youth Cup win last season, making a return from a calf injury to star in the semi-final win over Southampton and our final victory against Arsenal.

With U18s stepping up from North London to the U21 level too, Kelly is expecting a tough test following the victory at Emirates Stadium last May, although he is confident the Irons’ pre-season form puts them in a good place ahead of Friday’s opener.

“We have got a couple of wins under our belt,” he states, on recent matches against Colchester United, Elche B, and Canvey Island, “but I think we are most happy with how we have played. I think it has been three good performances in a row.

“A lot of us have stepped up this season, but it is good because we all have a strong bond with each other, and we won a lot of games last year and hopefully we can bring that to the U21s.”

Featuring on three occasions across both EFL Trophy and Premier League 2 matches for the U21s in 2022/23, the 18-year-old is ready to make the step up on a permanent basis this season.

Key to his, and the side’s success, will be a midfield three that truly complement each other’s games, all of whom will be progressing from U18s football to U21s this season.

Kelly, alongside midfielder teammates George Earthy and Lewis Orford, is excited to attack the 2023/24 campaign.

“Me and Lewis have a really good bond with each other,” Kelly added. “We played central midfield together most of last season and we link up well, and George ahead of us is good to have as well.

"You need to cover everything in the midfield, with Lewis being more on the front foot and me doing more of the dirty work. I think we play really well as a duo, yeah!”

Robson believes new crop can make PL2 their stage

A trip to Arsenal will kickstart the season and the first competitive outing for the hatful of U18s to make the step to the U21 level.

FA Youth Cup winners Mason Terry, George Earthy, Patrick Kelly, Callum Marshall, Gideon Kodua, Regan Clayton with all play with the development squad this season – as will second-year scholars Ollie Scarles and Lewis Orford, both of whom would be eligible but unlikely to feature in the 2023/24 FA Youth Cup.

As such, lead coach Mark Robson is excited to continue the work conducted by Kevin Keen last season as a group that has created a buzz around Chadwell Heath take the next steps in their footballing journey in east London.

“It’s a really buoyant group and the lads are really looking forward to it,” Robson said. “We have had a decent pre-season and over the last few weeks, it has been really good. The form we have hit over the last couple of games especially means we go into the Arsenal match with a lot of confidence.

“The U18s had a great season last year and a lot of those boys played for us as well, so there already have that experience of the U21s and an understanding of what that is like. That will only put them in good stead for this season.

“The challenges for them last season of playing in the U21s were clear to see and I hope that because they know what to expect means that they can keep expressing themselves and developing themselves. Because that’s the goal, to keep them doing that, and hopefully pushing for opportunities with the first team.”

Team News

Sean Moore could be set for a PL2 debut and his first competitive minutes for West Ham, since signing from Cliftonville in July.

The quick and skilful winger scored during the Hammers win over Elche B in a pre-season fixture held in Murcia and will hope to make his mark in a London derby.

Last Time Out

West Ham United U21s concluded their 2023/24 Premier League 2 preparations with a 2-0 win against Canvey Island.

Canvey defender Tobi Tinubu got the final touch after Liam Jones’ delicious cross found Favour Fawunmi at the back post to put the Irons ahead.

Joshua Ajala then netted a stunning second from close range to round off the victory and ensure a side, with both U21s and U18s in its ranks, head into the season with a third straight pre-season win under their belts.

Opposition

Arsenal U21s saw eight wins and eight defeats from their 26 league fixtures in 2022/23. Add in ten draws, and Arsenal would finish in seventh in the table, five places above the Hammers, who concluded the season in eleventh.

Like West Ham, a hatful of Gunners are expected to make the step up from their U18s’ run to the FA Youth Cup Final last May.

Ahead of their PL2 opener, Arsenal beat Bishop Stortford 3-1 in their final pre-season fixture and will hope to kickstart their 2023/24 season with a London derby win.

How to follow?

A live blog will run on whufc.com, with build-up starting from 6.15 pm and kick-off at 7pm. Report, reaction, and highlights will follow shortly after the final whistle.

Tickets

Arsenal U21s play home games at Boreham Wood FC’s Meadow Park. Supporters are welcome to attend these fixtures and admittance is free.

Arsenal U21s 3-0 West Ham United U21s
Premier League 2, Meadow Park, Friday 11 August 2023, 7pm BST

West Ham United U21s fell to a 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in their Premier League 2 opener on Friday evening.

An even first 45 minutes saw Mark Robson’s side compete with their counterparts, and arguably edge the chances too.

Callum Marshall and George Earthy both went close when their efforts were deflected away, before Kaelan Casey’s header was superbly kept out on the stroke of half-time.

In truth, Arsenal begun the quickest of the two sides in the second half though, and saw Casey’s block deny the hosts an opening goal just minutes after the restart.

Soon, the Gunners’ pressure told, however. And Jacob Knightbridge, who had previously stood tall with a hatful of stunning saves between the sticks was finally beaten.

Myles Lewis-Kelly and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji struck either side of the hour to put Arsenal two goals ahead.

And while Keenan Appiah-Forson almost pulled one back with a delicate chip wide of the post five minutes from time, Arsenal would clinch victory with a third in stoppage time.

Amario Cozier-Duberry struck from close range to confirm a London derby defeat in our Premier League 2 opener.

West Ham United U21s: Knightbridge, Laing, Casey, Luizão, Forbes (c), Kelly, Orford, Chesters, Earthy (Appiah-Forson 62), Scarles, Marshall
Subs not used: Terry (GK), Moore, Woods

Booked: Chesters

Forbes challenges teammates to push towards Sunderland test

There is no doubt it was a difficult opening match for the U21s. Arsenal kept the ball well at Meadow Park, and their three goals showed that the Hammers ultimately came up short in their Premier League 2 opener.

There were chances for those in Claret & Blue, though. And while the Hammers might have taken the lead when Kalen Casey saw his header saved in the first half, Michael Forbes admitted Arsenal were deserving of the result.

“It is a tough one to take in the first game of the season,” he stated, honestly. “We knew Arsenal would be a tough start but we were a bit blown away really. For the first 35 minutes, we struggled to get near them.

“We did alright to stay in the game in the first half, but they moved the ball so well it was difficult and a really tough evening for us. They outclassed us really.”

Focus turns quickly to the Hammers’ first home game of the season against Sunderland on Friday 18 August, and according to Forbes, that has to be the aim.

It is a chance to get the U21s' first points on the board back in east London.

“All of us want to make it right,” he added. “Our full focus is on next Friday against Sunderland.

"We will take a couple of days to look at what happened and what we can work on as we want to put it right. It’s our first home league game so we want to move on and focus on that, of course.”

Robson: Arsenal showed the level we’ve got to get to

Mark Robson was honest in his assessment of the defeat by Arsenal.

The Hammers, who had seen three wins against Colchester United, Elche B, and Canvey Island, on the bounce in pre-season, came up short in the London derby, with Arsenal impressing on their own patch.

For the U18s making the step up it was a reminder of the level the Hammers will have to reach this season. Lessons to be learnt ahead of their match against Sunderland in a week’s time.

Robson said: “It was difficult I thought Arsenal was really good and by far the better team. They moved the ball well and we struggled to cope.

“In the first half, we probably had the best two chances. Kaelan [Casey] had a header and George Earthy went close as well.

“Having said that in the second half, it was one-way traffic, and it was a bit of a lesson for us. We kept giving the ball away which is very unlike us.

"There is a different level for the players stepping up. They were quicker and stronger and some of our boys were getting pushed off the ball a bit too easily but that will come. It’s a bit of a reality check. We know we have some good players but we fell short."