The January transfer window saw a lot of personnel changes in senior and in youth football for West Ham. West Ham U23s remain at the top of the Premier League 2 Division 2 table, but with a mid-season reshuffle, Dmitri Halajko’s side will have to react quickly to the changes if they are to hold on to top spot until the end of the season.
A Busy Window
Anthony Scully who has been one of the Hammers’ top performers this season, has played well enough to attract the attention of League One side Lincoln City, who snapped up the Irish forward on an 18-month contract.
Some of the West Ham faithful were surprised to see him leave, as they believe his stellar performances may have earnt him a first team call up over the next few months, with one particular fan expressing his emotions on Twitter:
“Well that’s our striker for next season in the Championship gone. Cheers Dave.”
With some fans clearly disgruntled at the decision to sell the Irishman, it will be interesting to see how Halajko’s side adapt to life without their top scorer, and whether or not someone will be able to step up and fill the void that he has left.
Imps boss Michael Appleton raved about the striker after his 20-minute cameo appearance in which he made his debut. “He’s going to be good for us, the Lincoln City fans will love him.” In his most recent appearance, Scully managed to score his first goal in a 4-3 loss to Accrington Stanley.
Joining Scully at Lincoln is Captain Conor Coventry, who was sent on loan to The Imps until the end of the season. The midfield anchor departs having been a crucial part of the Hammers midfield, but Halajko will be hopeful that the Irishman will come back from the League One side with plenty of first team experience.
Another departure included Dan Kemp. The London-born forward was sent on loan to League Two side Stevenage. Amassing 10 goals and four assists in all competitions, the playmaker has been one of the most reliable players for the Hammers this season.
Seen as one of the team’s most creative and influential members, Kemp will be sorely missed in the run in to the end of the season, but Halajko clearly has enough trust in the players already in his squad to give others the opportunity to develop elsewhere.
Attacking threat Nathan Holland, (pictured above) was shipped out on loan to Oxford United in early January, where he has already made his impact, scoring most notably against Newcastle United in the FA Cup.
Holland contributed 12 goals and six assists in just 13 games, also making his professional debut for the first team before his departure to the U’s.
The final player to leave East London this January was midfielder Joe Powell. The 21-year-old leaves the Hammers for league one side Burton Albion permanently, having played in claret and blue since he was eight years old.
With all of these departures, Halajko has had the opportunity to give more game time to players such as Dan Chesters and Louis Watson – who both started in their recent away victory to Sunderland.
A Favoured Formation
Despite these changes, the West Ham coach has opted to stick to his favoured 4-3-3 formation, as it allows the style of play that he has implemented on the squad to come to the forefront. With quick and direct attacks, sweeping from side to side to open up gaps in the oppositions defence, Halajko’s side have been devastating when on the front foot this season.
When playing away to Reading, the West Ham coach decided to adopt a 4-4-2 formation, with the two central players (Bernardo Rosa and Oladapo Afolayan) playing with one more advanced than the other, forming a diamond in the middle of the park.
On the Title Charge
The East London side have five games left to play in the PL2 this season and they will be looking to pick up maximum points to hold on to top spot. They currently sit three points ahead of the Red Devils, but the North-West side have a game in hand.
However, the West Ham fans will be confident as their side have a superior goal difference to Manchester United and with the invincible record still very much intact. They will hope to remain resilient as the season draws to a close, in an effort to reach the Premier League 2 final against the team who finishes top of the PL2 Division 1 table.
