West Ham United U18s 1-2 Birmingham City U18s
The Academy youngsters suffered their third defeat in a row on Saturday despite taking the lead at Little Heath through Danny Purdy.
The Republic of Ireland Under-17 international, fresh from representing his country in a recent tournament, opened the scoring with a neat finish after capitalising on a Birmingham mistake out on the Hammers left wing. Purdy surged goalwards and slotted the ball under the keeper to open the scoring.
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However, the Blues were able to equalise before half-time after a mistake in the Hammers rearguard and that goal allowed them to believe they could head back to the Midlands with all three points. After Purdy saw a solid save deny him the chance to restore the lead, Birmingham broke home hearts following an incisive move through the middle.
It means the Hammers have lost their last two fixtures at home, with a 1-0 defeat by a visiting Stoke City followed by a 5-2 loss at Tottenham Hotspur last week. There is an immediate chance to get things going again at Little Heath when Cardiff City arrive for another inter-group fixture next Saturday.
West Ham United: Street, Driver, Brown, McNaughton (ModelskI 60), Sanchez, Moncur, Barrett (Okus 65), Wearen, Purdy, Hall (Werndly), Kearns
Subs unused: Mehmet, Craig