The Professional Under-21 Development League gives an opportunity to the younger players to showcase their talent as well as their potential on a national scale. As the determining of league status has no direct correlation with how the first team are performing, the stars of the future are able to demonstrate just how good they are which can be represented by their team’s position in the league table.
Teams are split into leagues and divisions, and West Ham United currently compete in League 1 Division 1, the highest possible. Twelve teams compete in the division, and the top eight qualify for the Premier League International Cup next season, whilst the bottom two are relegated to Division 2. The Hammers currently sit rock bottom unfortunately, having won just three out of the eighteen games they have played.
With just eleven points on the board, the Irons need to be on top form if they are able to avoid the drop. They will need to put forward a winning run, and can start this off with victory over Manchester City on April 24th at the Boleyn Ground. Nick Ashcock’s men put in a decent performance last time out, with a narrow 2-1 loss to Norwich City who sits in second position. We took the lead with a quality strike from Jordan Brown, but were unlucky to concede twice in the final six minutes and we hit the woodwork twice!
West Ham has a wealth of history when it comes to players emerging from the academy. Mark Noble is the perfect example, captaining the senior side as of today under Sam Allardyce. From Bobby Moore to Frank Lampard, let’s hope the youthful boys will be inspired into beating Patrick Vieira’s development side.
