Nathan Trott and his young and eager West Ham United Under 23 side kicked-off their two-match tour of Slovakia with a hard-fought 3-1 defeat at Super League club Spartak Trnava.
With six 16-year-olds in the starting XI, Terry Westley’s team produced a spirited and eye-catching display against the five-times Slovak Cup winners.
Midfielder Joe Powell, the elder statesman in the team at 18 years and nine months, was West Ham’s standout performer, creating chances and also scoring his side’s goal with a fine finish.
“We had a very young team with six 16-year-olds starting, with many of the older boys having played in our win at Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday and scheduled to play against FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce on Wednesday,” Westley observed.
“Alongside Joe, Jeremy Ngakia gave a good account of himself at right-back, while all the younger players can be proud of what they put into the game.
“It was a very good exercise played in front of a good-size crowd and a real test for our players. We now look forward to the second game of our visit to Slovakia, when we will field a more senior starting line-up.”
West Ham are staying in Trnava during their week-long stay, with the Hammers and Spartak players and coaches spending time training with one another in selected sessions. This exchange of expertise has also seen coaches from each club spend time with their respective counterparts in recent months.
The Hammers will continue their two-match, week-long tour with a fixture at FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce on Wednesday evening, kicking-off at 6.30pm local time. Admission at Štadión FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce.
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