You cannot keep a good centre-forward down, and a good centre-forward is what West Ham United hope they have got in Scotland youth star Josh Landers.
Four months after Landers rattled a 17-minute hat-trick past Brighton and Hove Albion, the teenager was finally back on the goal trail on Friday night.
West Ham United’s Under-21s slipped to a 4-2 defeat at Derby County. Greg Lincoln’s side entered March in terrific form – Josh Ajala and Regan Clayton both earned nominations for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award – but not even a return to form for Josh Landers could help them avoid a defeat in the East Midlands.
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Josh Landers scores twice but West Ham United lose at Derby County
Snapped up from Hibernian a year ago, Landers made a prolific start to life at West Ham.
After netting nine goals in 12 Under-18 matches, he started his Under-21 career with a brace against Sunderland before that Brighton treble in September. Then came the first lean spell of his claret and blue career.
A drought Landers finally ended in Derbyshire as the goals started to rain down for him once again.
The 19-year-old converted two Lewis Orford assists. The first punted into the Derby net with his left boot. The second a fine glancing header at the near post. An eleven-game barren spell snapped in style.
“It was a strange game in lots of ways,” Lincoln told the official West Ham website following an eventual 4-2 loss. “I don’t think the surface helped for us with the style of football that we like to play, but it gave the players an opportunity to adapt and adjust again to a different challenge.
“We went a goal ahead [through Landers] and then were disappointed with the goals that we conceded tonight.
I think that our success has been built on our resilient, resolute defending and we’ve defended the penalty box really well, but I think the goals that we conceded when we looked back, I think we can do a lot better.”
Greg Lincoln urges the Hammers kids to bounce back
Airidas Golambeckis played an hour on his return from injury. Daniel Cummings, who had recently replaced fellow Scot Landers as Lincoln’s number one striker, also came off the bench to partner his compatriot in the second half.
Fortunately, Fabrizio Romano was very wrong…
What should the next steps for Josh Ajala be at West Ham?
“We picked up one or two injuries, so we had some players playing who got an opportunity to test themselves in different positions,” adds Lincoln. “That’s something that you have to do across a 50 or 60 game season when you’re a first-team player and it gave them the opportunity to experience a different position and a different challenge.
“But again, sometimes that can prove challenging, as we saw.
“The result won’t take away from the momentum we’ve built. We pride ourselves, as a club and as a group, with the spirit and the togetherness. It’s about taking the learning out of the game and we’ll go away, we’ll have a look, we’ll reflect and we’ll be better for the next game.”
Speaking of youth-team forwards, Josh Ajala finally signed a new West Ham contract earlier on Friday.
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