- Conor Coventry is keen to help West Ham United U18s to successive wins this weekend
- The Hammers take on Blackburn Rovers in Merit Group A on Saturday
- Coventry has recently returned from helping Republic of Ireland U17s qualify for the European Championship finals
Conor Coventry is eager to help his U18 teammates pick up their second win in succession this weekend, just days after returning from Republic of Ireland U17 duty.
Coventry was part of the squad that qualified for the UEFA U17 European Championships after winning all three group games over the past week.
They began by beating Faroe Islands 4-0 before securing qualification with a 1-0 win over Slovakia. The youngsters maintained their 100% record with a 2-0 victory over Cyprus in their final Group 8 fixture.
The team therefore qualified for the Euros without conceding a goal, and Coventry admits he is already excited at the prospect of playing for his country at the tournament finals.
“I’ll be very excited if I’m included in the squad and hopefully I can get to show what I’m capable of on the big stage,” he said.
“We were very pleased with all three of the games to be fair. They were all very different games. The first one, we dominated but in the other two we had to dig in a little bit more and work a bit harder.
“There’s a good feel about the group going into the Euros and we are confident in what we are doing.
“We’ve got the traditional Irish team ethic and spirit but we’ve got a bit of style as well which hasn’t always been put next to an Ireland team. We’re feeling good that we’ve combined both and that’s given us a lot of belief. “
I saw the result and heard the boys done really well. Everyone seems quite confident and we’re keen to get another win on Saturday.
Conor Coventry
Coventry returned to training with the Hammers on Thursday and is expected to play a part as Steve Potts's team aim for back-to-back victories.
The U18s host Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and Coventry is confident that the team can carry on the feel-good factor from last weekend’s dramatic win over Reading.
“I saw the result and heard the boys done really well,” Coventry added. “It’s great for [Anthony] Scully to get a goal as well. Everyone seems quite confident and we’re keen to get another win on Saturday.
“I don’t know too much about Blackburn but we played them last season and it was a tough game. They’re a physical side and they do the dirty side of the game quite well so it will be tough.”
West Ham United U18s take on Blackburn Rovers in U18 Premier League Merit Group A on Saturday (11am). The match takes place at Little Heath Sports Ground where parking and admission are both free.