West Ham U23 headed into this fixture chasing their first victory of the season and looking escape the relegation zone after a torrid run of games at the start of their season. Blackburn meanwhile had a chance to take a shot at top spot for the first time this year. However, despite a dominant display from the Hammers, they failed to find the net and continued their winless run.
A Tight-Fought Tie
The first 10 minutes of the tie were tight as both team’s midfielders were very compact. In the 11th minute Blackburn created the first chance of the game as Ben Paton made a run and dribbled past two Hammers players and slotted it through to Luke Brennan, only to be denied by Irons ‘keeper Joseph Anang.
Early Injury Woes
Both West Ham and Blackburn defenders suffered early injuries as Ajibola Alese had to be subbed off the game in the 15th minute and Rovers’ captain Joe Grayson was taken off on a stretcher in the 23rd minute.
Despite their defensive loss, seven minutes later Blackburn had another good chance to score, however Irons’ left back Ben Johnson won a strong tackle to prevent Rovers’ Sam Burnes from having a shot on goal. Just minutes later, there was yet another injury, this time Ossama Ashley was injured as he limped off the field, while Kamarai Simon-Swyer came on to make his debut in the Premier League 2.
The first half finished 0-0 and had 11 minutes of added time with a lack of flow and momentum from either side.
Blackburn begun the second half on the attack as West Ham failed to clear the ball. West Ham had a chance themselves as Brazilian midfielder Bernardo Rosa laid off the pass to Sean Adarkwa who dribbled round the keeper but subsequently hit the side netting.
Resilient Rovers
As the Irons started to control of possession further into the second half, they had another shot on goal in the 62nd minute with Swyer finding himself through, however Greek U21 international Antonis Stergiakis made a great save with his leg to keep the Rovers in the game. Despite the Hammers continuing to control the match, they struggled to find the net with some top defending from the Rovers defence.
The Hammers had a final chance in the 87th minute where Swyer headed across goal towards the far post, where Rovers managed to half clear it to Oladapo Afolayan on the edge of the area as he shot goalwards, but the visitors had yet another body in the way to deny the Hammers their first win of the season. Despite West Ham stepping up their game in the second half, it wasn’t enough to get the goal they needed.
Halajko Reflects
West Ham U23 head coach Dmitri Halajko was pleased with how his side played, however he stated that it simply wasn’t enough. Speaking to the official club site he said:
“We were pleased with ourselves tactically. I thought we didn’t give much away. We’re happy with the clean sheet, but in terms of quality-wise on the ball, we were below what we needed to be, especially in the crucial areas”.
Despite having the first clean sheet in the season, West Ham are still in the relegation zone with only two points in five games and will be disappointed in not finishing the game off. The visitors however remain unbeaten and are now in second place with 11 points. Blackburn’s next match will be against rock-bottom Arsenal, while the Irons travel to Derby next Monday.
