West Ham United U23s experienced quite the turnaround in fortunes over the course of 2021.
Entering the calendar year bottom of the Premier League 2 Division 1 table, the young Hammers won 15 points out of a possible last 24 in the 2020/21 league to propel themselves up two places and secure safety.
Now, after a brilliant start to their season, West Ham’s U23s end the 2021 calendar year at the opposite end of the table, four points clear of nearest-challengers Tottenham Hotspur!
The young Hammers, under the stewardship of Dmitri Halajko and – from November onwards – U23s lead coach Mark Robson, scored some 68 times in 35 competitive matches over 2021, with 48 of those goals arriving in the first half of 2021/22.
That tally rises to 86 goals in 42 games over 2021 when pre-season fixtures are included – quite simply, the young Hammers started as they clearly meant to go on.
Excluding own-goals, 17 different players have produced those goals in Claret and Blue, with forwards Mipo Odubeko – on loan for much of this season at Championship side Huddersfield Town – and summer arrival Armstrong Okoflex both on 12 goals apiece.
Fellow forwards Thierry Nevers and Sonny Perkins have both scored five times for the development squad, with recent Premier League debutant Harrison Ashby and attacking midfielder Kamarai Swyer both on four, including the U23s’ final goal of the year away at Crystal Palace earlier this month.
On this list you'll find entries from the likes of Odubeko, Okoflex, and Nevers, midfielders Conor Coventry and Pierre Ekwah, and recent first-team stars Ashby, Perkins, Aji Alese, Emmanuel Longelo and Keenan Forson.
From long-range strikes to spectacular volleys, sweetly-struck set-pieces to a very special solo goal, you can enjoy our Top Ten U23s Goals of 2021 right here – with the promise of hopefully more to come in the New Year!