A young West Ham side featuring Bermudian Nathan Trott enjoyed a terrific first day at the Hong Kong Sevens tournament as they topped their group to reach the Quarter-Finals.
After a goalless draw with Singapore Cricket Club in their opener, West Ham took the lead in their next tie against HKFA Under 21’s, but were pegged back when the local side bagged a penalty.
There was victory for those in Claret and Blue in their final Group D match however, as they came up against fellow English side Leicester City and were 2-0 winners.
Taking time to settle as a seven-a-side outfit, West Ham drew a blank in their first encounter, and Lewis Page reflected saying, “It’s tough because we’re not used to this. We had a few chances and we should have put them away, but we kept the ball well.
“We’ve just got to take our chances in the next two games and go for it.”
The young Hammers were keen to find the back of the net for the first time in this year’s competition in their next fixture though, and took the lead against HKFA U21s when Alex Pike converted a penalty.
However, the full-back also missed from the spot and their opponents scored from 18-yards themselves when Yu Pui Hong levelled the game.
It finished 1-1, and West Ham’s Noha Sylvestre said, “In the game, I think the best player out there was Grady Diangana for West Ham. We have to take our chances, be more clinical and score goals.”
It was therefore clear what the Hammers’ objective would be in the final group match against Leicester City, and their persistence duly paid off as they were 2-0 winners.
Pike was again on the scoresheet as he burst through the Fox’s lines to storm into the penalty area and finish calmly with his weaker foot, giving the Londoners the initiative.
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