- West Ham United PL2 face Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Friday evening (7pm kick-off)
- The Hammers are currently fourth in Premier League 2
- Manager Terry Westley is calling on his players to play with more intensity
Terry Westley is urging his players to play with more intensity ahead of Friday night’s Premier League 2 clash with Middlesbrough.
The Hammers came up against stern opponents in Aston Villa on Monday night, eventually losing 2-0 in the West Midlands.
Westley made it clear he was disappointed with the display, but called on his players to up the tempo and match the performances they have put in over the majority of the season so far.
“We demand that the players play with that intensity, sharpness and tempo right from the start,” he said.
“We should make it hard for the opposition but play with tempo when we have the ball and that’s not going to be easy.
“Any trip of this that distance (from East London to Middlesbrough) is tough for young players."
West Ham United PL2 will aim to overturn a run of two successive defeats away at Middlesbrough on Friday evening (7pm kick-off).
The Hammers have gone without a victory since the thumping 2-0 win over Leicester City in the Premier League Cup.
Despite the below-par performance against Aston Villa in Premier League 2 on Monday, Terry Westley’s men performed well against League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers in the Checkatrade Trophy.
“I think we have to keep reminding ourselves we’re preparing people for First Team football and last Saturday was a great example of our First Team keeping a clean sheet first, making sure they didn’t concede a goal.
“We should have made sure (against Aston Villa) that we went in at 0-0. We weren’t great but we should have made sure we defended properly.
“Then second half we may have had enough to beat them. When you go 2-0 down it’s too much to do.”