After picking up three points on the road in Gillingham this weekend, we reckon the Premier League stars of tomorrow when we face West Ham U21 in the EFL Trophy this Tuesday night.
Coughlan is likely looking to rotate some players after a demanding schedule in recent weeks. The likes of Kiban Rai, Olly Thomas, and Nathan Wood will all be hoping to get a chance to prove themselves in the starting line-up, while other players may be rested.
Our last outing in the trophy saw us pick up a comfortable 2-0 win away at Cheltenham Town, and we will likely build on that and secure a spot in the knockout phases on Tuesday.
Opposition Form
West Ham U21's have had a strong start to their Premier League 2 campaign. The Hammers sit third in the league table, registering 14 points in their opening seven games. Their last outing was on Friday, where they registered a comprehensive 5-0 win against Middlesbrough U21s, with Callum Marshall grabbing a hat trick.
Marshall bagged himself a brace in West Ham’s last EFL Trophy game. Three late goals saw the young team secure all three points away at Bristol Rovers. They are currently top of the table, ahead of us on goals scored.
Ticket Info
You can find ticket information for Tuesday’s encounter below:
Adult - £10
Senior 60+ - £8
Under 18 - £5
Under 6 - £0
Please note: Only the Bisley stand will be open for this fixture.
You can secure your tickets here.
Last Time Out
The last time we welcomed West Ham U21s to Rodney Parade was in the 2019/2020 season, and it was one to remember. Anthony Scully, now plying his trade at League One Portsmouth, fired the visitors into the lead in the first minute. We responded well, with goals from Tristan Abrahams, Corey Whitely, Lewis Collins, and Ryan David Lewis-Hillier giving us a 4-1 lead at half-time.
West Ham responded immediately after the break with a penalty from Joe Powell and a strike from Veron Parkes within six minutes of one another, quickly reducing the deficit. The visitors then clawed it back to 4-4, with Kai Corbett driving home in the 83rd minute. The Hammers were not done there, though, with a late scramble leading to Scully tapping in his second of the night and securing a 5-4 win that seemed incomprehensible at half-time.
Head to Head
Newport have only faced West Ham U21 once before, in the aforementioned 5-4 defeat in the 2019/20 season. We have faced West Ham’s first-team squad on four occasions, the most recent being our 2-0 league cup defeat in 2019. Before that, we defeated the Hammers in 1979 in a memorable FA Cup tie. The two meetings before that ended in a West Ham win and a draw.
Played for Both
The most notable player to have worn the claret and blue of West Ham and the black and amber of Newport County in recent years is Frank Nouble. Nouble started his career at West Ham, spending three seasons in East London, a period where he would be loaned out to several Football League clubs.
After spells at the likes of Ipswich, Coventry, and Wolves, the experienced striker found his way to Rodney Parade in 2017. He would spend one season at the club, making 45 appearances and scoring nine goals, becoming a fan favourite in the process.