West Ham United U21s 5-0 Celtic B
Premier League International Cup, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Friday 15 September 2023
West Ham United U21s comfortably beat Celtic B 5-0 in the Premier League International Cup which saw a surprising appearance by first team member Ben Johnson.
The official site at www.whufc.com reports: Divin Mubama’s opener on ten minutes, turned in from six yards after Ollie Scarles’ wicked cross, came following a frantic opening period in which both sides registered big chances without netting.
West Ham’s lead was doubled just 12 minutes later as Callum Marshall scored his first of the evening, latching onto Levi Laing’s lobbed pass to slot home at the second attempt.
Marshall scored his second and West Ham’s third on 28 minutes with a smart finish, ensuring a dominant advantage for the Hammers at the interval.
The Irons took only three minutes in the second half to get a fourth, as Mubama maturely read a deflected shot and tucked in his personal second.
A host of substitutions followed for both sides and one of the introduced Irons, Lewis Orford, would net a beautiful fifth for the hosts just a few minutes after his introduction.
The midfielder arrowed a well-taken strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the area, putting Steve Potts’ side in full control before an hour had been played.
Celtic’s best chance came in the opening few minutes, when Magnus Mackenzie tried his luck from distance, but otherwise the Scottish side did little to test goalkeeper Joseph Anang.
Junior Robinson will feel he should have added sixth for West Ham on 77 minutes, but his headed effort from just a couple of yards out somehow went over the bar.
The win means the development team have won two games out of two in the Premier League International Cup this campaign, having also beaten Valencia at Chigwell Construction Stadium last month by a 1-0 score-line.
West Ham United U21s: Anang, Chesters (Robinson 59), Johnson, Casey (c) (Forbes 54), Laing, Scarles (Moore 59), Coventry, Kelly (Orford 54), Earthy, Marshall (Kodua 54), Mubama
Subs not used: Knightbridge, Luizao
Goals: Mubama 10, 48, Marshall 22, 28, Orford 58