Skipper Sonny Hilton sent Fulham’s under 23s into the Premier League Cup semi-finals by scoring the winner that settled a tight London derby at West Ham last night.
Hilton’s tenth goal of a superb season proved to the only goal of a match that Fulham enjoyed the better of – but Steve Wigley’s had to wait until eight minutes after the interval to get it. The diminutive Scouser reacted quickest after West Ham goalkeeper Krisztian Hegyi had tipped an effort from Luke Harris onto the crossbar and gleefully tucked the loose ball into the empty net.
The Whites were indebted to a couple of fine saves from George Wickens, who has been on loan at Wealdstone this season, for preserving their slender lead. The Fulham keeper got across well to push away an effort from the dangerous Sonny Perkins with ten minutes to play with Hilton brilliantly throwing himself in front of the follow-up from Will Greenidge. After Perkins had narrowly failed to touch in a shot from Kamarai Swyer, Wickens somehow kept out a close-range effort from Okoflex.
Fulham had the better chances in the first half with Jay Stansfield heading wide from a teasing Ziyad Larkeche delivery and then coming even closer with a snapshot from the edge of the area. Luciano D’Auria-Henry did well to close down a dangerous run from Keenan Appiah-Forson before Ibane Bowat bravely blocked a shot from Armstrong Okoflex as the Hammers flexed their muscles before half time.
Wigley’s side always looked creative in the final third and found the crucial opening goal early in the second half. A well worked move along the left saw Hilton and Ollie O’Neill involved before the Irish under-21 international’s low ball found its way to Harris inside the area. The Welsh teenager hit a fine shot which Hegyi did superbly to touch onto the frame of the goal, but he had no chance with the rebound that was emphatically converted by a delighted Hilton.
West Ham looked to respond with Freddie Potts heading over from a corner, but Hilton came close to a second after intercepting a stray pass from Harrison Ashby and firing wide of the far post. The Whites did have to survive a nervy final ten minutes as the hosts piled on the pressure in pursuit of an equaliser, but this was another mature and professional performance from Wigley’s resilient side.
WEST HAM UNDER 23s (4-2-3-1): Heygi; Ashby, Longelo, Alese, Laing; Potts, Ekwah (Greenidge 68); Nevers (Swyer 68), Okoflex, Appiah-Forson (Mubama 86); Perkins. Subs (not used): Clayton, Kinnear.
BOOKED: Ashby, Perkins.
FULHAM UNDER 23s (4-2-3-1): Wickens; D’Auria-Henry, Larkeche, Bowat, C. Robinson; Page (Dibley-Dias 81), Pajaziti; Hilton, O’Neill, Harris; Stansfield. Subs (not used): Allen, Williams, Bowie, Godo.
BOOKED: Page, Stansfield.
GOAL: Hilton (53).
REFEREE: Aji Ajibola.
