A National League Cup winners’ medal is not the only prize West Ham United starlet Josh Ajala could add to his growing collection when Greg Lincoln’s Under-21s face Boreham Wood on Tuesday night.
The Hammers face fifth-tier Boreham Wood at Meadow Park tomorrow.
West Ham United’s next generation saw off Tamworth in the semi-finals last month; a brace coming from a very unsurprising source.
West Ham’s U21s can win a trophy on Tuesday! 🏆 🍾
What would silverware mean for our academy?
Josh Ajala is already making a name for himself as something of a cup specialist. Fire the Londoners to victory in Tuesday’s decider, and Ajala would also make the short trip back home to East London with a Golden Boot prize among his possessions.
Josh Ajala hopes to fire West Ham United to National League Cup success
Ajala has been in ‘unplayable’ form since the turn of the year. When it comes to knockout football, meanwhile, he really is in his element.
A year after scoring both goals as West Ham Under-18s beat Reading in the 2024/25 Premier League Cup final, Ajala was on the scoresheet twice again in that semi-final triumph over Tamworth.
Talk about taking to life in the Under-21s like a duck to water. Scorer of 11 goals in his first season at this level, four of those have come in five National League Cup games. The teenager is currently joint top of the Golden Boot standings, alongside Boreham Wood’s Matt Rush.
Extra motivation for both strikers to maintain their superb form tomorrow, then, not that they will need it.
Kenny Brown says Ajala is ‘up there with the very best’
Ajala was named the Premier League 2 Player of the Month for February. A first-team debut under Nuno Espirito Santo is the long-term target, though the immediate aim is securing silverware in successive campaigns at youth level.
“It shows Josh’s mentality and how bright he is,” Academy Manager Kenny Brown said after West Ham finally tied Ajala down to a new contract a few weeks ago.
Fortunately, Fabrizio Romano was very wrong…
What should the next steps for Josh Ajala be at West Ham?
“He doesn’t get into physical battles when he doesn’t need to. He pulls off shoulders, finds space and gets on the ball again and again.
“He doesn’t just receive the ball in forward areas, he maintains possession and is progressive with it. He wants to be facing goal as soon as he receives the ball. His retention of the ball and his end product are up there with the very best.
“I think what you’ve seen is him developing as a footballer. He’s not just a number nine now. He can play across any of the front three positions and he’s got all the attributes; his work rate, his finishing with both feet, and he’s still going to grow physically too.”
Captain Airidas Golambeckis should feature for Lincoln after recovering from a recent injury.
Boreham Wood loanee Junior Robinson is unavailable against his parent club, though, having featured for the Hammers earlier in their National League Cup campaign.
Interestingly, the 2024/25 Golden Boot winner, Stoke City youngster Emre Tezgel, has since made an impressive foray into the senior game with 13 goals for Crewe Alexandra.
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