Jaanai Gordon returned to the score sheet this afternoon filling in for nine goal machine Elliot Lee who was absent. Gordon, our £3.5m investment from Peterborough was injured towards the end of last season with a hamstring so he will be pleased to get back to his scoring ways in the development squad friendly against Aston Villa today at Little Heath. Venezuelan young striker Aitor López listed as a trialist came on as a 46th substitute in the same match but Maiga was strangely not listed as a sub for this game. The development pre season friendly match against Villa finished 1-1.
Elliot Lee was left out of the U21 match so he can be included in the first team squad for tomorrow’s first team friendly against Sampdoria, why Maiga was left out of the squad is harder to fantom. Lee’s inclusion must be a reward for his nine goal fest over the summer. The 19 year striker is brimming with confidence and itching to get his first team chance again to prove what he can do by stepping up a level. His first appearance in a first-team squad was on New Years day 2013 when he was an unused sub against Norwich. Lee then made his first team debut for 12 minutes for West Ham, as a 78th minute sub at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the January 2013 FA Cup replay which was lost 1-0.
Elliot’s third goal from Tuesday against Woking.
