A rare setback in Premier League 2 Division 2 will only serve to spur West Ham United U23s on against Newcastle this Monday lunchtime, according to winger Dan Kemp.
The junior Hammers’ regular No7 was on target against Fulham at Motspur Park a week ago, controlling Jeremy Ngakia’s pinpoint long ball before steering into the corner emphatically.
The goal – Kemp’s tenth of a prolific half-season for the U23s – followed Amadou Diallo’s early opener in south-west London and put West Ham in the driving seat going into the interval.
Fabio Carvalho’s curler pulled a goal back for the hosts with a quarter of the game to go, only for Hammer Joe Powell to finish a sweeping counter-attack on the 80-minute mark and seemingly secure another three points for his Claret and Blue-clad teammates.
For only the second time this league campaign, however, victory was not to be, late goals by Jay Stansfield and Timmy Abraham – the latter with the last meaningful kick of the game – denying the table-topping West Ham U23s in dramatic fashion.
Following Manchester United’s 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion later that weekend, the Irons’ lead at the top of the division is now down to a single point over the Red Devils.
With the visit of Newcastle to Rush Green Stadium marking the Irons’ final fixture prior to a three-week festive break, Kemp has called on his teammates to rally from their disappointment at Fulham and ensure they top the table at Christmas.
“I thought we one hundred per cent deserved to win that game,” Kemp said. “Going 3-1 up with ten minutes left, we should’ve come away with the three points – they should never be allowed to come back into the game from that position.
“We controlled the majority of the game and then in the last ten minutes they came back into it, and their goal in the last minute was heart-breaking really.
“We’ve been on fire in the league this season and, with the quality that we’ve got, we want to win every single game.
“To not do that at Fulham was disappointing, but we can’t get too down about it. It gives us a big incentive to go again. We need to pick ourselves up and finish strongly before Christmas.”
A former scholar at Chelsea, Kemp joined the Hammers in November 2015 and has since impressed at various youth levels with his pace, finishing and natural creative instincts.
Versatile enough to have played in central midfield and up-front, Kemp has regularly shone on the right wing of a forward triumvirate incorporating left-winger Nathan Holland and centre forward Anthony Scully for much of the season.
There’s fantastic quality in how we all link up. We’ve got really good attacking players and a way of playing which is exciting to be a part of
Dan Kemp
His fine campaign thus far has yielded ten goals and three assists in 17 appearances, as well as a Premier League 2 Player of the Month nomination for August.
Scully and Holland have since gone on to win that award for September and November respectively, and Kemp believes such regular accolades – and ever-flowing goals – are a demonstration of the attacking outfit’s collective quality.
“We’re really confident as an attacking unit,” Kemp observed. “All [three] of us have got over ten goals now in that frontline, which shows we’re playing as a unit, but also all providing for each other as well.
“There’s fantastic quality in how we all link up. We’ve got really good attacking players and a way of playing which is exciting to be a part of.”
Led by their Academy’s Head of Coaching, Ben Dawson, Newcastle U23s arrive at Rush Green Stadium having enjoyed a mixed first half of their Premier League 2 Division 2 season, with four wins from 12 games and seven points from their last possible 15.
The return fixture in August proved a keenly-fought contest – goals from Joe Powell and an own-goal helped West Ham overturn an early Jamie Sterry strike in the North-East – but for Kemp, the objective is clear: go into Christmas at the top of the tree.
“We want to stay top of the league,” he declared. “That’s always been our target this season.
“We want to win this league, and in order to do that we need to bounce back against Newcastle. We’re looking forward to it.”
West Ham United U23s against Newcastle U23s kicks off at Rush Green Stadium at 12 noon on Monday.
