HAMMERS HIT ANTRIM FOR SIX
West Ham United 6
County Antrim 0
Report by Paul Alexander
West Ham United were crowned champions of the Junior section of the SuperCupNI at the Coleraine Showgrounds on Friday afternoon as the tournament celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Amran Saifuddin and Nahshon Orhurhu both netted braces with Kyran Thompson and Kyle Healy-Matthews also getting on the scoresheet for the Hammers.
Saifuddin scored the first of his side’s six goals after just three minutes. Xavier Parker played the ball to his right to Saifuddin who fired back across goal into the bottom-left corner.
County Antrim had an opportunity to equalise on 16 minutes through Finn Lappin. Caleb Sweeney fed Lappin before Reggie Morris slid in to block the striker’s attempt.
West Ham doubled their advantage three minutes later thanks to the determination of Thompson. Riley Ebho’s cross seemed to have too much pace, although Thompson stretched himself in order to help the ball in.
The Hammers had the ball in the net again in the 25th minute. Parker supplied Saifuddin however he was ruled to have been offside. Saifuddin was played in again, this time by Thompson, on 29 minutes but he fired wide of the target.
Although Saifuddin would add his side’s third on the stroke of half-time. The centre-forward capitalised on a loose pass and riffled the ball into the net.
The English side saw a second goal disallowed for offside when Thompson thought he’d found the net four minutes after the break.
Antrim threatened to pull a goal back on 53 minutes. Coran Madden made good use of a central free-kick with Hammers goalkeeper Harry Jones just about managing to hold it.
Substitute Healy-Matthews made it four for the Irons with almost an hour gone when his shot from the left found its way in at the near post.
Fellow reinforcement Orhurhu scored the first of his two goals on 64 minutes when he latched onto a bouncing ball and prodded past Kyle Chivers in the Antrim goal.
Orhurhu’s second came four minutes later when he used a couple of keepie-ups to turn in the centre of the penalty area before volleying the ball into the net.
West Ham United: Jones, Zelvys, Perkins, Fejokwu (Smith), Thompson (Healy-Matthews), Thomas, Morris, Ebho, Parker (Omotoye), Saifuddin (Orhurhu), Mbogba (Pereira)
Subs not used: Waldron, Aman
County Antrim: Chivers, Curry (Jackson), Hirthe, Moore, Burns (Green), Campbell (McGuickan), Lagan, Sweeney, Madden, Lappin, Longridge (McGrillis)
Subs not used: Tohill, McGrory