In his first season competing in the Vertu Trophy, 17-year-old Airidas Golambeckis captained our U21s into the round of 32 on Tuesday night following a 3-2 win at Swindon Town's County Ground - the second time our young Hammers have reached the knockout stages in three seasons.
Part of a select group to have worn the armband for our development side before turning 18, a list that includes Declan Rice, Golambeckis has played every minute of the U21s’ season so far.
“Being a captain of this team at such a young age and playing against teams of seasoned pros is a real privilege,” he said. “We were very excited coming into the game, knowing that if we won, we’d go through. We battled it out.
“It wasn’t pretty at times, but that’s what this competition is all about, winning. I think we played very well, defended very well and took our chances in the end.
“To be the only Under-21s team to get through so far, I think it sets the tone of how good we can be. Hopefully we can carry that into the other cup competitions and the league as well.”
Facing a Swindon Town side sitting joint top of League Two and backed by a loud home crowd, Golambeckis and his teammates had to handle a direct, physical approach, a very different challenge to that of Premier League 2 football.
“I think me, Rayan [Oyebade] and Briggsie [Josh Briggs] were tough on the day. The whole team was. But us back three, I think we worked very well together.
“We knew that they were going to go long the majority of the time. I think us three were very solid today. We dealt with all the long balls that came over.
“Although we were two goals up at half-time, we knew that they were going to come out strong. They got that one goal quite early in the second half, but then everyone showed resilience. We went on to score another goal, Josh Landers. It was a great team goal which ultimately helped us win the game.
“It got scrappy at the end, a bit physical. We were on the back foot. But that's what this tournament is for. I'm just glad that we won the game.”
The last time West Ham reached this stage, they went on to the round of 16, beating Colchester United 4-0 in the first knockout tie. That squad, captained by Kaelan Casey, was largely made up of 2023 FA Youth Cup winners. This season, Golambeckis leads a group mainly comprised of last season’s U18 Premier League Cup winners.
He continued: “I think it's amazing. Especially for us, our Under-21s team. For us younger players, it gives us that experience. Swindon and MK Dons are fighting for promotion in League Two; Reading, a League One side.
“It exposes you to that type of football which I think is very important. It’s probably my favourite competition and I’m delighted we’ve made it into the next round.”
