The Fleet and West Ham finally broke the succession of 2-1 results that have usually been the case in this friendly fixture over the past four years – and in the Fleet’s case they went one better with a clean sheet to win 2-0.
West Ham fielded a strong defensive pair in Levi Laing and Brazilian Luizao with much of the rest of their starting XI having experience of last season’s Premier League 2 runners-up campaign.
The first chance of the match for the Fleet came from a Josh Wright delivery from a corner leading to an aerial duel but the Hammers won that particular battle and cleared their lines. The visitors broke through on the counter, Sean Moore hitting one towards the target but a deflection forced it away from Mark Cousins’ goal.
Dominic Poleon had two chances to put the hosts ahead – his strike partner Dom Samuel whipped a diagonal cross into the area but Poleon at the far post couldn’t get it on target. His second chance came minutes later when he found himself through on goal but once again his effort skipped wide.
A chance for the visitors followed when their trialist centre-forward gained sight of goal and pulled the trigger but his effort clipped the woodwork in a good spell of pressure from the visitors.
Jim Kellermann came close to securing his first goal for the Fleet with a cheeky lob from distance as he almost caught Finlay Herrick off his line – the looping shot bounced marginally wide and gathered in the side netting. Greg Cundle was also showing some great touches to anticipate and win the ball from his left-sided position but West Ham survived his three or four moves into the box.
An entertaining but goalless first half came to a close and Fleet resumed the match with purpose, keeping the young Hammers in their own half for long spells. And Samuel opened the scoring on 48 minutes when he homed in on Ben Chapman’s pinpoint cross into the box to turn the ball past the despairing dive of Herrick and into the net.
Samuel looked to grab a second – which would have been his sixth in three games – when he attempted the spectacular with an overhead kick from another tempting cross but a lack of true contact with the ball let the West Ham defence off the hook.
Harrison Firth was called into action at the other end shortly after that when Josh Ajala broke through only to find the young Fleet keeper in the way to collect.
The Fleet continued to push for a second and it arrived on 71 minutes. An excellent cross from the left by Trialist A sat up for Kwame Thomas and he leapt high to direct a powerful header into the bottom corner less than 24 hours after his signing was announced.
Fleet won a couple of free-kicks in dangerous positions when Nathan Odokonyero and Thomas were felled. Tanner stepped up to take the first but his effort was only able to find the gloves of Herrick.
Like Kellermann in the first half, Tanner was also unfortunate to see an attempted lob past the keeper bounce wide as Herrick back-pedalled to cover.
Another dangerous free kick came Fleet’s way later on when Franklin Domi was bundled over as he made a run into the box – he stepped up to take the kick but his effort floated off target.
EUFC squad: Cousins, Firth, O’Neill, Wright, Cordner, John, Kellermann, Fonguck, Samuel, Poleon, Cundle, Domi, Edser, Phillips, Odokonyero, Chapman, Dallison, Tanner, Thomas, Trialists A-D
WHUFC: Herrick, Battrum, Mayers, Akpata (Medine 78), Laing (Tarima 62), Luizão (Brown 70), Moore (Ajala 62), Swyer (Caliste 82), Trialist (Halim 82), Rigge, Adiele (Sowunmi 64)
Subs not used: Awesu (GK), Abraham (GK)
Attendance: 1,029
