Ambition: No bad thing in a youngster who is revelling in his elevation to the principal striker role within West Ham’s under 21 side. With the departure on loan of Josh Landers, the role has been gratefully accepted by fellow Scot Daniel Cummings who is starting to find the net with regularity after a long layoff with a shoulder injury.
Twice last night, as reported, Cummings scored in the u21’s National League Cup clash with local neighbours Braintree Town. The Hammers’ academy side secured a 4-2 victory to confirm their first place in Group B by opening up a four-point gap between themselves and both Norwich City U21s and Ipswich Town U21s in second and third respectively.
On target twice – Dan Cummings
Cummings, finally looking as if he could fulfil the promise which convinced West Ham to poach him from Celtic’s B side last summer, spoke after the game of how much he’s enjoying life in east London and alluded to his own barely hidden ambition to make it through to the seniors at West Ham:
“I love it. Especially the types of games we have and the programme – there’s loads of different challenges against a range of teams at many grounds.
It’s about gearing me up to go and play senior football whenever that is. I’m loving it.”
With fellow frontman Josh Landers netting four times in his last game as a Hammer before leaving for Ayr on loan last month, the academy is evidently blessed with riches in the goal scoring department: Whether either of the two can succeed where Callum Marshall and others have failed to break through into first team football is difficult to gauge.
There is, after all, still a big gulf between academy and Championship football. From their evident enjoyment and relish of the hard work and demanding schedule which academy or loan football represents, it clearly won’t be for lack of trying.