Hard Work Pays Off For Cowley

DAVID Cowley was on target for the Hammers Under-18s against Millwall, netting a brace to claim three points from the Lions.

And after the game the Academy midfielder revealed how staying late after training to work on his shooting had paid dividends.

He said: "I wanted to score more goals and Tony Carr wanted me to as well. So after training last week I stayed behind every day to do more shooting practice and obviously that paid off with my two goals against Milwall.

"We were all a bit disappointed to lose against Fulham last week, so it was great to come back with a win. If we are going to catch Southampton we might need to go on another winning run, so hopefully we can build on the Millwall result when we come back after Christmas."

As a member of the FA Youth Cup side that defeated Luton Town in the last round, David is pleased with another home draw in Round Four. But he knows Manchester City will give Hammers a tough examination at Upton Park.

"At least we got a home draw," he said, "but I don't think we could have got a much tougher match and it's going to be a massive night. Hopefully we can all go out there, show plenty of confidence and put in a good performance. But it's definitely a difficult draw.

"Kyel Reid knows a couple of their players from the England team, so we know that they will have a few very good players.

"We've just got to go out there, be positive and hopefully we can come away with the right result. Obviously the FA Youth Cup is massive for me because as a second year this is my last chance to play in it. So I'll be really determined to do well."