West Ham United U23s return to league action on Friday with a London derby away to Chelsea.
The Irons travel to face the Blues on Friday 11 March with kick-off at Kingsmeadow set for 7pm.
Read on for all you need to know about this week’s Premier League 2 fixture…
The story so far
Just a few weeks ago, West Ham United U23s were top of the table in Premier League 2 Division 1, having started 2022 with an emphatic win over Leeds United and a credible draw away to Arsenal.
A trio of league losses and a last-minute postponement to the away fixture at Blackburn Rovers have seen the developmental side slip down to third in the league and the opportunity to lift the title taken out of their own hands.
Mark Robson’s side have been highly impressive throughout most of the 2021/22 campaign so far and now have seven league fixtures with which to finish the season strongly, as well as a Premier League Cup round of 16 match at home to Leeds United to look forward to.
The Irons have 35 points but have two games in hand on the sides above them, Manchester City and Arsenal. The Gunners occupy second with 36 points from 21 games played, while City have 43 points.
Victories in the two games in hand would move West Ham back into second and put them just two points off the league leaders. Despite recent form, it is still very much all to play for.
The opposition
It would be fair to describe Chelsea’s developmental team as a squad very much in transition.
Unbeaten champions of Premier League 2 Division 1 as recently as two years ago – albeit it in the curtailed campaign – the Blues find themselves second bottom in the league table with just 18 points from 17 league matches this season.
A number of players who featured regularly for Chelsea at U23s level have moved on in recent months with a host of talent, including the likes of Tino Livramento and Dynel Simeu (both now at Southampton), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) and Lewis Bate (Leeds United) switching to Premier League rivals in the search for first-team football.
In their place, a new crop of Chelsea youngsters are looking to take the opportunity and thrive in the developmental squad.
Harvey Vale, the 18-year-old attacking midfielder, has made the most of his chances, scoring five goals in 16 appearances. Bryan Fiabema, a 19-year-old striker, also has five goals this season.
Centre-back Xavier Mbuyamba has been an ever-present in the back-line for the young Blues while Dion Rankine, a midfielder, has been involved in 21 matches.
In development manager Andy Myers, Chelsea’s youngsters have a coach who himself progressed through the club’s youth system and claimed an FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup with the team.
Last time out…
The U23s welcomed Chelsea for the first game at Rush Green Stadium in the 2021/22 campaign at the end of August, claiming a deserved 2-1 win in the home tie.
Defender Will Greenidge was only too happy to sweep in the opener just five minutes into his first appearance of the season for the Irons, reacting first to goalkeeper Lucas Bergstrom’s error to give West Ham the lead.
It was no more than the home side deserved, with West Ham penning in the Blues for most of the first half, but Chelsea levelled on 35 minutes through Brian Fiabema’s low effort.
With Ajibola Alese picking up an injury in the second half, 16 minutes of added time were required at the end of the game. It was in the ninth minute that the Irons took the advantage!
Superb combination play from Emmanuel Longelo and Harrison Ashby led to the latter entering the Chelsea area before slotting in the eventual winner.
What they’re saying
Sonny Perkins: “West Ham versus Chelsea is always a big game. It’s under the lights on a Friday night too, which makes it even more interesting.
“We want to get back to winning ways and I don’t think there’s any better game to do that in than this Friday’s match. It’s obviously a London derby too, which adds an extra layer. We’re all excited for it and we want to get the win.”
How can I follow?
West Ham United U23s travel to face Chelsea in Premier League 2 Division 1 action on Friday 11 March, with a kick-off-time of 7pm.
Live coverage of Friday’s match will be provided via our live blog on whufc.com, with updates beginning an hour before kick-off. Highlights and reaction will be available on the website and across social media on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
