As Preston Fearon and Callum Marshall both hit braces, as George Earthy, Freddie Potts and Mohamadou Kante dominated proceedings, West Ham United’s next generation once again proved itself to be the perfect tonic for supporters sick of their struggles at senior level.
Two days after Graham Potter’s miserable London Stadium reign went from bad to worse – Tottenham Hotspur became the fourth team out of five to put three goals past the Hammers this season – Mark Robson’s youngsters put in the sort of thrilling, free-scoring performance the first-team could only dream of.
Up against far more experienced opponents in League Two outfit MK Dons, West Ham United’s Under-21s kicked off the new EFL Trophy campaign with a 5-1 victory in Buckinghamshire.
While a returning 40-year-old dragged up the average age of Robson’s XI somewhat – Lukasz Fabianski was ‘very good’ on his Hammers comeback – the performances of George Earthy, Freddie Potts, Preston Fearon, Callum Marshall and Mohamadou Kante suggested that the future remains bright, even if the present is anything but right now.
Preston Fearon credits George Earthy and Mohamadou Kante as West Ham United thrash MK Dons
Robson said Earthy and Potts were ‘excellent’ in the centre of the park.
That was to be expected, really. Earthy was Bristol City’s Young Player of the Year last season, while Potts excelled on loan at Portsmouth. Two midfielders who proved themselves more than good enough for second-tier football understandably dominated against fourth-tier opposition.
Tireless centre-forward Callum Marshall earned comparisons to Jamie Vardy in pre-season, and the impudent backheel he flicked into the MK Dons net was one the Leicester legend would have been proud to call his own.
Talking of comparisons, Mark Robson feels that Mohamadou Kante has shades of Arsenal icon Patrick Vieira. To cap another excellent day’s work, Kante turned on the afterburners to breeze past the opposition like Vieira in his pomp before pulling a pinpoint cross into the path of an onrushing Preston Fearon.
The 18-year-old had already swept one laser-guided finish into the bottom corner of the MK Dons net following some excellent work from the aforementioned Earthy.
“I’ve been focusing on my finishing in training,” admits Fearon, speaking to the club’s official website after Marshall hit a brace of his own and left-back Adiele Emeka forced a calamitous Dons own goal.
“When George set it [my first chance], I just thought; ‘Shoot’. And then my movement to get to the second goal is also something I’ve been looking to improve. It was a perfect cross from Mo.”
Jarrod Bowen thinks the Hammers have a ‘special’ talent
Captain Jarrod Bowen highlighted Preston Fearon’s ‘special’ impact on the training pitch at Rush Green recently. The silky-smooth Fearon has quite the penchant, Bowen says, for nutmegging his far more experienced teammates.
After failing to score in 20 youth-team appearances last season, meanwhile, Fearon now appears to have unlocked the shooting talents to go alongside his skill.
“I definitely enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the team. We played so well as a unit, especially in the first half. It was really good for all of us,” adds the teenager, who was replaced to a great ovation in the second-half.
“It was the first time I’ve had that kind of reception after coming off as a substitute. It felt good, scoring two goals, playing well. To get that sort of reaction makes you feel like the fans see you as part of the club’s future. I just hope they recognise the effort I put in.
“I had my nan, grandad, sister, sister’s boyfriend, brother, brother’s girlfriend, mum, dad, two cousins and my dad’s friends there. I’ve got such a supportive family and they help me every game. They’re always coming to watch, home or away. They help so much.”
Fearon on why he left Chelsea to join West Ham
Formerly one of the bright young hopes of another London giant, Preston Fearon joined West Ham from Chelsea in 2021. A good decision, he feels, even if the lack of opportunities handed to the likes of Freddie Potts in the opening weeks of the new season cast doubt on whether Graham Potter is the right man to continue the Hammers’ tradition of blooding young talent.
“I haven’t been here at West Ham that long. Three or four years, compared to other people my age,” Fearon said shortly after making his uncompetitive first-team debut against Manchester United in the USA tour.
“But as soon as I came here I knew West Ham was going to be a great club for me. My Dad said it straight away, I look so much more confident than when I was at Chelsea, my last club. The environment and everything just suited for me.
“Two years later, I was captain [of the Under-18s] and just playing at my best. Every game I just felt like I was getting better and better. I was getting awarded for the stuff I was doing on the pitch and off the pitch.
“I was injured, working hard and all the coaches saw that. They saw how much work I was putting in. It just kept getting better and better. It’s been amazing really.”
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