There were no goals to light up the afternoon but West Ham United’s Under-21 coach Mark Robson was still delighted to see his youngsters go eyeball-to-eyeball with Northampton Town and hold their gaze.
Robson felt West Ham’s next generation would benefit from facing far more experienced opponents during the pre-season schedule.
Hence Tuesday’s clash with League One outfit Northampton Town.
On a day when injury denied Northampton newbie Kemarai Swyer the chance to take on the club he left a few weeks ago, defences were on top at Sixfields.
Goalkeeper Fin Herrick made a couple of fine close-range saves in the second-half to preserve a clean sheet and avoid a defeat in their pre-season opener. It was not just the work Herrick did with his hands, though, which impressed the man in the West Ham United youth-team dugout.
Mark Robson hails Fin Herrick as West Ham United Under-21s hold Northampton Town
While former Hammers assistant coach Kevin Nolan instructed his Northampton side to push up in an attempt to strike fear into the heart of their youthful opposition, Herrick looked extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet; Negating the press and building attacks from the back.
Given what Graham Potter tends to look for in goalkeepers – Hammers News understands that Potter is an admirer of Aaron Ramsdale with Parma’s Zion Suzuki under consideration too – a 19-year-old shot-stopper with the passing range of a playmaker is doing his chances of first-team involvement no harm at all.
“Maybe they had a bit of pressure on us at the start of each half, but I felt in the first half especially we played really well,” Robson reflected after that hard-fought 0-0 draw against Nolan’s third-tier charges.
“We moved the ball through the lines, our movement was sharp, and I thought Fin was excellent playing out from the back. Not just with short passes but with longer ones as well. He really got us playing.
“I was really pleased with how we played both in and out of possession. The boys worked incredibly hard as a group, and we performed well against what I’m sure will be a very strong League One side this season under Kev.”
Herrick, Ezra Mayers and co return to Hammers youth-team squad
England Under-19 international Herrick claimed the Premier League 2 Golden Glove award last season during an impressive fourth-place finish for Robson’s team.
He was also part of Potter’s senior squad for Sunday’s 3-1 win over Grasshopper Zurich in Switzerland, alongside Lanre Awesu, Emeka Adiele, Airidas Golambeckis and Ezra Mayers.
“We had a few boys back from the first team who’d been away on their pre-season tour,” Robson added.
“They added a little bit of quality to us, and you could see that in how we played. I thought we were really good throughout the game.
“Being around the first team, training with them, eating with them, sharing the same space, it can only make you want to be a footballer even more. We’ve got some top, top players at the club, and to mix with them for a whole week is a fantastic opportunity.
“We hope when the boys come back from that sort of experience, they bring it back to us. They see what excellence looks like, and in doing so, raise the standards for everyone. I thought tonight we saw that.”
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