West Ham U18s manager Steve Potts has been reflecting on his side’s convincing 2-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday and is looking forward to the last game of his side’s season.
Joe Ward netted first for the Hammers followed by another first half goal from Nathan Mavila. Alex O’Hanlon scored for Liverpool, but the defensive display was enough to mean that West Ham came out with all three points.
The win means West Ham now sit fourth in Tier One and afterwards a proud Potts told West Ham TV: "I'm very pleased with what I saw...I thought we gave an all-round good performance in the first half.”
“We worked very hard defensively and didn't let the Liverpool players settle on the ball. When we had the ball, we moved it around the pitch well and grabbed ourselves two goals. I think we deserved more goals.”
On the defensive side of their game, Potts said, "it's part of the game, especially when you are playing against decent opposition... there are always going to be times when we are going to have to dig in and work hard defensively, which we did.”
He was also keen to talk about the U21 Development Squad, a few of which began the season in Potts’ team: "When I watched the West Ham Development Squad match on Friday against Liverpool, I thought all the lads that played were excellent. I really did think it was a brilliant performance. Nick has got that team going really well and it's just nice to see some of the younger lads in there pushing on. They are getting pushed a lot but playing well at the same time.
The U18s now face Stoke City in the last match of the season, and Potts hopes for a win to end the season on a high. He also said that he has enjoyed his time this season with the Under 16s in the first half and Under 18s in the second, but does admit that managing the U18s has been more intense.
He concluded “tactically, the team is looking stronger because, with the younger teams, the games can be more end to end, whereas at this level, you may only get one or two chances in a game and you have to take them."
We wish all the best to the U18s this Saturday and maybe we’ll see a few more of the players in Development Squad action next season.
By Lucy Woolford, Youth and Development Squad reporter
@lucy_whufc
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