Ole Alexander Saue previews the match…
Chelsea’s development squad are visiting West Ham’s youngsters at Rush Green Stadium on Friday night as West Ham legend Steve Potts gets his first game in charge of The Hammers.
The Blues will go top of the league on goal difference if they beat West Ham who currently sit bottom of the Barclays Under-21s Premier League.
Last week Adi Viveash’s side beat Porto 2-1 to ensure progress to the last eight in the Premier League International Cup (PLIC).
“We’re proud of that win. [Kasey] Palmer is in good form and has scored goal-of-the-season contenders on consecutive nights,” Viveash told CFC.com after the game. “We contained the game late on and obviously get a late winner. It’s a first win in 2015 and we want to win the competition now.”
Palmer has indeed been in excellent form as he helped the Under-18s win with a goal last Tuesday, before he scored a screamer against Porto for the Under-21s the next day.
The Hammers have only won two games since they beat PSV Eindhoven in PLIC in November, and are currently bottom of the league.
In their first game in 2015 they beat Leicester City 1-0 at Rush Green on January 5th, before losing two games in a row against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton respectively.
This Wednesday, the club announced on their website that the former Hammers’ skipper Steve Potts has been promoted from the Under-18s to the Under-21s as former boss Nick Haycock left the club in November to take charge of non-league side Bishop’s Stortford.
“At Under-21 level we believe you need coaches rather than managers, so Steve has joined the Under-21s as a coach and will continue to work across age groups,” academy manager Terry Westley told whufc.com.
“We believe he can still work with the U16s and U18s which will benefit them. His knowledge and experience can really help them. His work with the Under-21s is also important so there is a sense of continuity. So that is first in my mind.”