ACADEMY Director Tony Carr was quick to stress that his Hammers
side will be taking nothing for granted as they face a tough test
in the FA Youth Cup Fifth Round against Leyton Orient at Upton Park
this evening.
Having emerged as victorious underdogs from their clash with
favourites Blackburn Rovers in the last round, Tony's team will
face the different prospect of entering tonight's game as the
favourites.
But that is certainly not affecting the focus of the young Hammers
as they look forward to what should be an excellent Cup-tie.
"We're not taking anything for granted," insisted
Tony, "and I don't expect anything less than a very tough
examination of that we're about this evening.
"Leyton Orient certainly haven't reached the Fifth Round
of the FA Youth Cup by accident. They're here entirely on merit
and have won some very good matches to get to this stage of the
competition.
"We're going to give them the respect they deserve, and on
the night they're just as capable of winning the tie as we are.
The result is far from a fore gone conclusion and we're
preparing for a really closely fought game."
As is often the case with clubs in the lower echelons of League
football, youngsters gain senior experience a lot earlier than
those from teams with a large pool of first-team players. And Tony
certainly expects to see some first-team experience within the
Orient ranks.
"It's highly likely that they'll have some boys with
first-team experience," he admitted, "but of course
we've also got a couple of players that have played and been
involved with the senior side.
"The key to their success this year has been their front-two,
who could cause any team problems. We'll certainly have to be
on our guard at the back because they could hurt us with their
pace.
"Whichever team comes out on top, it's going to be a game
where we'll have to work for the full 90 minutes, and maybe
even beyond. I think it'll be similar to the Gillingham game in
that it'll be a physical contest, and one that we'll have
to work extremely hard to win."
Preparation at Little Heath over the past couple of weeks has gone
well, with Tony and his team paying particular attention to the
avoidance of cramp, which afflicted a number of players during the
game against Blackburn.
"We didn't want the cramp problem to reoccur and so after
we played Arsenal in the League we put a ten day fitness programme
into action," he explained.
"Win or lose tonight it certainly won't be for a lack of
preparation. All the boys are looking forward to it and hopefully
they'll be a good crowd at Upton Park to cheer them on.
"It's a really big night for them and the support of the
fans means a lot to the players. Hopefully, they'll give a good
account of themselves."
While the youngsters will be going all out for FA Youth Cup success
this evening, Tony knows that the goal of the Academy is far more
wide reaching than simply winning Cup-ties. It's with that in
mind that he waits to see which players will be available to him,
after Mark Noble and Chris Cohen were on first-team duty at the
weekend.
"Academy boys making it through to the first-team is what our
success is judged on," explained Tony, "which is why FA
Youth Cup football takes a back seat when it comes to the
first-team.
"It's not about how many Cup games you win, but how many
boys go on to play for the first-team.
"On that basis, tonight's game will be an important step
on the development of these young players. It's a massive night
and they'll be going all out to try and make it through to the
next round."
West Ham United v Leyton Orient at Upton Park, kick-off
7.00pm.
Tony's Taking Nothing For Granted
16th February 2005