For many young players coming up through the ranks at the Academy of Football, stepping out at the London Stadium is the realisation of a dream.
WHUTV cameras followed West Ham United U23s defender and captain Tunji Akinola as he prepared for the visit of Stoke City to Stratford a fortnight ago.
The fixture was the first of three U23s games scheduled to take place at London Stadium this season, with Dmitri Halajko's development squad fighting to seal promotion back to the top division of Premier League 2.
Take a look behind-the-scenes at training, go inside the dressing room and watch highlights of the match in the third episode of our Academy of Football video series.
