West Ham United's under-18s kept up their 100% winning start to the new Youth Academy campaign with a 2-1 victory over Fulham on Saturday morning.
A last-minute penalty from midfielder Lee Hales earned Hammers all three points after Jack Collison's strike had equalised Fulham's first-half opener.
In a fairly quiet first-half, neither side managed to create
much in the way of goalscoring opportunities, but it was the
visitors who went ahead just a few minutes before the break from
the penalty spot.
David Blackmore superbly saved Fulham's first effort, but the
referee harshly ruled that the Hammers goalkeeper had moved off his
line too soon and the Cottagers scored with their retaken effort.
The hosts fought back after the interval and drew level on the hour
when midfielder Jack Collison found space on the edge of the
penalty area and curled a delightful effort into the top corner.
Hammers then took full control of the game and had countless
chances to take the lead. Freddie Sears twice missed one-on-one
opportunities, while Ben Hunt also came close to finding the net.
As the game entered its closing stages, it appeared that Tony
Carr's side might have to settle for their first draw of the
season but, with just seconds remaining, Lorcan Fitzgerald was
brought down in the box and Hales stepped up to coolly convert the
winner.
Carr said afterwards: "We didn't start the game too
brightly, although I felt we were a little unlucky to find
ourselves behind at half-time.
"David made a superb save from the penalty and it was a bit
surprising to see the referee order a re-take - it's not
something you see happen very often now.
"The boys responded in the right way after half-time, though,
and after Jack Collison's excellent equaliser, we really had
more than enough chances to put the game out of sight.
"Thankfully, we got there in the end, and it was a deserved
victory overall. The boys are high in confidence at the moment and
the results so far speak for themselves.
"We'll keep working hard to ensure that the progress
continues and that they don't get too carried away, but they
certainly deserve a lot of credit for the way they are performing
at the moment."
Hammers: Blackmore; Miller, Spence, Ngala, Widdowson; Sears, Hales, Collison, Fitzgerald; Jeffery (Tomkins 80), Hunt (Stanislas 70). Subs unused: Bowes, Harvey, O'Neill.