West Ham’s U23 side lost 2-0 to Bristol Rovers in the Checkatrade trophy. Although they are still in the competition, it wasn’t the brightest start to the competition.
West Ham have had a mixed start to the season with the U23’s, but the side that travelled to Bristol Rovers was a strong one. With Reece Oxford in at centreback and on form Xande Silva in attack there was some cause to be optimistic. Rovers had 5 points from their opening 8 games and sit in 22nd place in League One.
However it wasn’t to be for the young Hammers, who were comprehensively beaten on the night. There were some chances for Silva early on and for most of the first half there was good football on show, especially from Alfie Lewis. Joe Powell and Bernardo Rosa also had solid games for the Hammers, and the man in charge had positives to take from the game:
More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham
- Brighton vs West Ham predictions: Can James Ward-Prowse help end the curse?
- West Ham and two Premier League rivals made huge transfer stand
- Lucas Paqueta bet allegations discussed in West Ham and Man City transfer talks
- Bournemouth vs West Ham predictions: Premier League opener amid transfer chaos
- West Ham near Denis Zakaria transfer after final James Ward-Prowse bid
"“It was a similar pattern to Friday’s game against Brighton. It was a fairly even first half I think. We weren’t good enough on the ball, but in terms of coming here and challenging ourselves against a really senior team, it was all about staying in the game and we did that.“If you look at the game on Friday, it was a lot more tactical in terms of the shape and tactical side and possession based football,” he reflected. “Whereas tonight it’s about fighting for seconds, running for your positions and one-v-ones and we didn’t win enough and that’s why we lost.”"
Manning’s comments touch on something very real there, and it’s why I think the competition could be good, if we can stay in it. The U23 league can be very competitive and technical, but playing against senior players, who are fighting for their livelihoods, is a different game. These matches have a different atmosphere and intensity, something younger players will benefit from.
If the youngsters want to prove themselves ready for the first team, these games are important. With Silva scoring freely at youth level there were many calls to bring him in to the struggling first team before the Everton game, but he needs to do it against tough opponents to. His golden chance 6 minutes in shows there are still some refinements to made to his game.