Wolves under-21s were beaten at West Ham United on Monday evening in PL2, as the old gold struggled to find their best form and were forced into a number of changes throughout the night due to injury.
Divin Mubama hit a brace inside the final nine minutes to win it for the Hammers, who took the lead through Kamarai Swyer in the opening 45, before Wolves levelled following a Harrison Ashby own goal 10 minutes later.
The visitors were first to have an attempt on goal as Aaron Keto-Diyawa collected from a short corner, before firing a deflected low effort into the gloves of Krisztian Hegyi.
Ian Sharps was forced into an early change when Alfie Pond limped off with an injury and Kam Kandola came on to replace the defender in a like-for-like swap.
It was the Hammers who took the lead three minutes before the half hour mark. An attack down the right-hand side resulted in the home team having a man over and the ball was delivered low into the box where Swyer was there to make no mistake from close range.
However, the old gold were behind for just 10 minutes and responded well to the set-back by levelling. Lee Harkin was released on the right and targeted Keto-Diyawa at the back post with his cross, but West Ham’s skipper Ashby was the unfortunate man who, despite getting to the ball first, spectacularly diverted the ball into his own goal.
Half-time | West Ham 1-1 Wolves
The Irons were quickly out of the blocks in the second 45, with Will Greenidge driving from defence before finding himself just wide and smashing into the side netting.
At the other end, Harkin was there to meet a cross at the back post, but his header bounced agonisingly wide of the mark with Hegyi confident the ball wasn’t creeping in.
Michael Agboola, Dylan Scicluna and Owen Farmer all entered the fray with little over 25 minutes remaining – the latter replacing Nathan Fraser who hobbled off holding his back.
The visitors had Agboola to thank as the defender made a crucial intervention to stop George Earthy in his tracks at the last, just as the attacker looked to have created a shooting position inside the area.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Wolves were punished for an Oliver Tipton handball inside the area and, after pausing momentarily, the referee pointed to the spot. Mubama stepped up and took his time, before confidently sending Andreas Sondergaard the wrong way.
West Ham made the points safe on 85 minutes as Mubama slotted home his second in quick succession, despite the best attempts of Sondergaard who had superbly saved Keenan Appiah-Forson’s initial attempt.
Harkin and Farmer both had late efforts but, by that point, it was the team in claret and blue who were on their way to a first victory of the season.
Full-time | West Ham 3-1 Wolves
COMING UP
The under-21s are in Premier League Cup action this Friday, as they host Reading at Aggborough.
NEXT FIVE
- 11/11 Reading (H) PLC
- 14/11 Sunderland (H) PLC
- 19/11 Porto (H) PLIC
- 28/11 Sunderland (A) PLC
- 03/12 Cardiff City (A) PLC
TEAMS
West Ham | Hegyi, Ashby, Casey, Potts (Woods 90+4), Greenidge, Laing (Clayton 86), Earthy, Appiah-Forson, Mubama, Swyer, Scarles.
Unused subs | Forbes, Kinnear, Coddington.
Wolves | Sondergaard, Birtwistle, Lembikisa (Scicluna 53), Griffiths (Agboola 53), Tipton, Pond (Kandola 16), Harkin, Ojinnaka, Fraser (Farmer 59), Hodnett, Keto-Diyawa.
Unused subs | Matheson.
