Boreham Wood 1-2 West Ham United U21s
Pre-Season Match, Mangata Developments Stadium, Meadow Park, Friday 25 July 2025, 7.30pm BST
After a draw in midweek at League One side Northampton Town, West Ham United U21s claimed their first victory of pre-season with a 2-1 win over National League outfit Boreham Wood at Meadow Park.
A strong opening 45 minutes laid the foundations for Mark Robson’s side, with Michail Antonio on the scoresheet twice as he continued his journey back to full fitness following a car accident in December last year.
Our young Hammers started brightly and took an early lead when Antonio stole the ball from Boreham Wood’s last man beating goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore inside four minutes.
Another step on the road to full recovery for Micky 💪 pic.twitter.com/3YJF4iZ4fK
— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 25, 2025
The Jamaican international added a second midway through the half, meeting Elisha Sowunmi’s inviting cross with a bullet header back across goal to double the advantage.
Boreham Wood halved the deficit shortly after when a misplaced pass from the back allowed Tom Whelan to intercept and Erico Sousa made no mistake with the loose ball, drilling a low effort into the bottom corner to make it 2-1.
Despite the setback, West Ham remained composed and had strong claims for a penalty waved away before the break, when Antonio’s effort struck the arm of a defender. Ezra Mayers also went close with a low shot drifting narrowly wide as the young Hammers maintained attacking momentum.
After a strong first half showing, Antonio and Junior Robinson made way at the break with Dan Cummings and Jethro Medine introduced for the second half. Robson’s men continued to threaten early in the half, but as the game wore on, Boreham Wood grew into the contest.
A flurry of substitutions disrupted the rhythm slightly, though West Ham defended well under increasing pressure. In the closing stages, Luizão produced a crucial late block to deny Joe Newton, before Callum Reynolds rattled the crossbar with a close-range header from the resulting corner in the last play of the game.
Ultimately, Antonio’s first-half brace proved enough to seal a deserved victory in another valuable test for the U21s, who have faced senior opposition throughout pre-season, continuing their preparation for development competitions (Premier League 2 and Premier League International Cup) as well as senior tournaments (EFL Trophy and National League Cup).
Boreham Wood: Ashmore, Ilesanmi (Coxe 77), Bush, O'Connell, Sousa (Clayden 77), Whelan, Henry (Abdulmalik 77), King, Reynolds, Norris (Dixon 61), Rush (Newton)
Sub not used: Gevaux Baena (GK), Benton
Goal: Sousa 30
West Ham United U21s: Hooper, Robinson (Medine HT), Mayers (Brown 60), Caliste (Battrum 67), Briggs (Ajala 79), Oyebade (Luizão 60), Sowunmi (Moore 60), Hargan (Akpata 67), Antonio (Cummings HT), Landers (Rigge 60), Clayton © (Adiele 67)
Goals: Antonio 4, 23
Robson: It was a great experience for them to play with Micky
Victory at Boreham Wood marked another positive step forward in pre-season for West Ham United U21s, following on from a hard-fought goalless draw away to League One side Northampton Town in midweek.
Reflecting on a performance that showed control and defensive resilience, lead coach Mark Robson praised his players’ pre-season progression: “I’m really pleased actually, really pleased with the way we played. The last couple of games, the whole squad has got to grips with what we're looking for. You can see the progression in it.
“I thought we controlled the game really well first half. We probably just lost our way a little bit second half, gave the ball away more than we needed to, maybe a little bit too cheap. So we ended up having to defend a bit more but we still defended really well.
“I’d like to see maybe a little bit more control in that second half. I know I made a few changes but I think overall a really pleasing performance and a good workout for us.”
Robson also highlighted the impact of a certain familiar face in the first half, welcoming the opportunity his players had to share the pitch with senior striker Antonio, West Ham’s record Premier League goalscorer, who played the first 45 minutes and struck both goals for the U21s in a valuable runout.
“That was a great experience for them," he continued. "I was really pleased, I thought we worked really hard tonight. He had a really good 45 minutes, following on from his work with Jamaica in the Gold Cup.
"It was great to have Micky there tonight and obviously he took both his goals very well. A fantastic experience for the boys, just being around him. He was talking to them, he was helping them. I'm really pleased with his overall work ethic and I thought we looked really good tonight. It was really pleasing to have him there and I think it definitely rubbed off on the boys”
Sowunmi: Seeing him hit the back of the net was a great feeling
For Elisha Sowunmi, Friday’s pre-season fixture offered a particularly surreal moment. Just three months on from setting up the winning goal in the U18 Premier League Cup final, the 18-year-old was again turning provider, this time for West Ham United’s all-time Premier League top scorer, Antonio.
Sowunmi was barely one years old when Antonio made his professional debut and only eight when he first pulled on the West Ham shirt. Now playing alongside him and delivering the assist for his second goal, it was unsurprisingly a moment to savour.
“When I was on the right-hand side, I remember he was playing and I was just like, if I whip this in a good area, I know that he's going to bully the defender and get on the end of it. So, yeah, to see him hit the back of the net and be assisting was a great feeling. Celebrating with him and him giving us all high fives. It was great!”
Having signed his first professional contract in June, Sowunmi is now settling into life with the U21s, making the transition to Rush Green Training Ground after nine formative years at Chadwell Heath.
“It’s new surroundings, so I’m just getting used to it all, but it's been a great start. I’m looking forward to carrying on this momentum through the pre-season and building on from there. But yeah, it’s been a good start so far!”
