Fc Slovacko 2 v 2 West Ham United

A spirited and rewarding Hammers performance for the first 85 minutes which saw them lead 2-0 courtesey of a goal by Mark Noble in the first half wonderfully set up by Martin Samuelsen, and a super header by ex-Manchester United starlet Ashley Fletcher in the second. Unfortunately two goals were conceded in the last minutes by Rafael Spiegel who had only come on to replace Randolph in the last twenty minutes, it wasn't entirely his fault, especially for the first goal, but it spoilt what had been an impressive display. All in all it was a good work out, and Slaven Billic will have taken heart from some very promising performances by the players who were either from the academy or newly signed.
What five things have we learned from the match?
(1) Samuelsen cannot be far off his first team debut, such was the quality of his play.
(2) Feghouli looks the business
(3) Fletcher might just be the 20 goal a season that West Ham are looking for
(4) Byram is a bit of a loose canon
(5) Mikael Antonio is definitely NOT a bona fide full back
There are reasons to be cheerful seeing the crop of youngsters and new signings on display, if Slaven Billic can 'weld' some of them in to the first team similarly to how Alex Ferguson introduced Becks, Scholes and Giggs, West Ham could have an incredibly exciting mobile team. Of course getting the balance right is vital, and with matches away to Chelsea and Manchester City in the first three Barclays Premier League fixtures there will be some testing times. - Ed