West Ham United exited the EFL Trophy at the round of 16 stage on Tuesday night as a team shorn of Callum Marshall and George Earthy went down 4-2 at AFC Wimbledon.
And this is the problem youth team coaches, such as West Ham United Under-21 boss Greg Lincoln, often encounter.
The Hammers were the only reserve team to qualify from the group stages of this season’s EFL Trophy, succeeding where Manchester United, Man City, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham all failed.
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However, Lincoln’s side travelled to Wimbledon without two players who had been responsible five of their eleven goals in the competition.
George Earthy was back in Bristol City colours over the weekend, having re-joined the Championship outfit on loan.
Callum Marshall has made an ‘exceptional’ first impression over in Germany, meanwhile. A striker with three goals in three EFL Trophy appearances moved to 2.Bundesliga outfit VFL Bochum on a temporary basis.
After Ezra Mayers made his full West Ham debut in the FA Cup triumph over Queens Park Rangers, he was unavailable too.
Lincoln was not using those absences as an excuse, though. Losing key players to loan deals and first-team involvement is par for the course for any Under-21 boss.
Greg Lincoln’s West Ham United exit the EFL Trophy with AFC Wimbledon loss
Whether Mayers would have been on hand to head clear in the build-up to Wimbledon’s scrappy opener at the Cherry Red Records Stadium is anyone’s guess.
Finlay Herrick did his best to keep out the second to no avail. One-time West Ham prospect Marcus Browne added a third moments after the interval, seemingly killing the game as a contest.
“I thought we were far too passive in the first half,” Lincoln told the club’s official website, 2-0 down at the break and 3-0 down after 47 minutes. “We spoke about it as a group. We weren’t proud of the performance and we felt it wasn’t quite us.
“It’s definitely a topic at the minute, particularly around set plays and the moments that matter. That’s senior football. Coming from Under-18s and Academy football into this level, those moments can change games.
“Second-half, we put that right.”
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Josh Ajala pulled one back with an accurate strike from distance. And after Lewis Orford provided a hat-trick of assists in a thumping victory over Aldershot the other side of Christmas, the England Under-20 international was on hand to pull the scoreline back to 3-2 following some good work from Mohamadou Kante and Emeke Adiele in the build-up.
The young Hammers would not complete their comeback – Wimbledon nabbed a fourth on the break in stoppage time – but Lincoln walked away enthused.
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“The crowd were excellent,” Lincoln added. “We’ve been very lucky to be so well supported in this competition. I think we had another 1,000 supporters again tonight, and they made the noise of ten times that.
“That really gave the boys something to spur them on and energise them, and you could see that in the performance. They showed real character and resilience to come back.
“[The second-half] was more like the performance we’re used to seeing from the players. We got into our rhythm, and I was really proud of them sticking together.
“That spirit is something we pride ourselves on at West Ham. Sticking together, having that togetherness and showing character. The boys showed that in abundance.
“It’s learning how to keep things steady in that first period and give yourself more of a chance.
“We’ve been well supported by the first-team staff and [former U21 chief] Mark Robson was here tonight and spoke to the boys after the game. It’s recognising that this is professional football for points. How tough it is, how physical you’ve got to be, how much you’ve got to run, how strong and clever you need to be to win your duels. That’s what we’re preparing them for.
“I think this will form a core memory for the players, one they take into training every day, into the gym, and into pushing themselves to the limits. That’s the level we’re trying to prepare them for.”
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