- West Ham United PL2 drew 1-1 with Stoke City at London Stadium
- The Hammers were frustrated by their opponents, after Julien Ngoy (pen) cancelled out Edmilson Fernandes's opener
- Moses Makasi felt it was a case of two points dropped
Moses Makasi conceded it was a case of “two points dropped” as West Ham United PL2 drew 1-1 with Stoke City at London Stadium.
The Hammers knew before kick-off that a victory would have taken them to third in Premier League 2 Division 2, and subsequently enhanced their place in the play-offs.
But after Stoke equalised from the penalty spot on the half hour mark, the home side found it difficult to break their resilient opponents down.
“It was two points dropped,” admitted Makasi. “We wanted to beat them so we could go towards the top of the play-offs but it is what it is and we’ll go again next week against Newcastle.
“We dominated possession but when a team like that gets a goal in a game, they’ve got something to hold on to. Once it went 1-1, they were fighting for their lives. We needed to try and break them down but we’ve just got to take the positives out of it.”
The Hammers came out of the traps firing and took an early lead when Edimilson Fernandes latched on to an Ashley Fletcher through ball to slot past Harvey Isted in the Stoke goal.
Arthur Masuaku looked threatening in his first appearance for the U23s and shot a dipping volley just over as the Hammers looked to double their lead.
We dominated possession but when a team like that gets a goal in a game, they’ve got something to hold on to.
Moses Makasi
Against the run of play though, Stoke scored an unlikely equalier. Ryan Hill was brought down in the penalty area and Julien Ngoy smashed home the penalty.
The Hammers dominated throughout the rest of the contest but found it extremely difficult to break the Potter down – in the end, they had to settle for a point.
Makasi, who’s been one of the most consistent performers for Terry Westley’s side this season, enjoyed partnering Fernandes in the midfield and was also pleased to see on-loan Martin Samuelsen back in claret and blue as he aimed to get some valuable minutes.
“It was really good. He (Fernandes) is very energetic and gets up and down and he produced a great finish for the first goal.
“It’s always good to see Martin Samuelsen. He brings the creativity factor to the team so it was good to see him and hopefully he can get some more games at Peterborough.
The PL2 Hammers are back in action on Monday as they travel to St James’s Park to face Newcastle United in Premier League 2.