It was a night of comebacks at West Ham United as England Under-21 international George Earthy marked his return in style during a 3-2 EFL Trophy victory over Ian Holloway’s Swindon Town.
That victory, by the way, means that a highly-talented youth-team crop in East London have qualified for the competition’s knockout stages.
They are the first of the Under-21 outfits to secure progression from the group phase this season. And, of the 16 ‘Category A’ academy sides in the 2025/26 edition of the Vertu Trophy, only Arsenal can replicate West Ham United’s feat of having reached the knockout rounds for the second time in three years.
First-team coach Nuno Espirito Santo hoped to have Earthy available around the start of November. The good news, and there has been a real shortage of that of late, is that the 21-year-old attacking midfielder appears very much on schedule.
On a night in which ex-Celtic starlet Daniel Cummings featured for only the second time in a Hammers jersey, George Earthy marked his own return in style. Much to the delight of his coach, Greg Lincoln.
George Earthy shines as West Ham United beat Swindon Town in the EFL Trophy
Considering that Earthy won Bristol City’s Young Player of the Year award during a successful loan spell at last season’s Championship play-off semi-finalists, it should come as no surprise that he looks so far ahead of West Ham’s EFL Trophy opposition.
Earthy shone alongside Freddie Potts and Callum Marshall as the Hammers thrashed MK Dons 5-1 earlier in the competition. Since then, Potts and Marshall have played first-team minutes under Nuno. The silky-smooth Earthy will now be hoping to follow in their footsteps.
This was a good start, certainly. Like against MK Dons, Earthy was clearly a cut above another fourth-tier outfit.
Former boss David Moyes drew comparisons with Manchester City icon David Silva following Earthy’s first-team breakthrough in 2024. The way he picked up possession and created the opening goal for Josh Ajala at the County Ground was, if not quite Silva-esque, then a reminder of his quality and creativity.
Earthy then scored the second himself. His first Hammers goal since a 3-0 Premier League 2 victory over Birmingham City on September 19th.
“Our boys will have seen what that next level looks like with George Earthy,” Lincoln told the official West Ham website on a night when the Havering-born starlet, a lot more experienced than many of his teammates, led by example.
“He’s been out on loan and played the first half for us, and he was outstanding. The way that he led the team through his actions was excellent.”
After Airidas Golambeckis won the ball high up the pitch – the England youth ace is emulating Declan Rice while captaining West Ham’s Under-21 side at the age of just 17 – Scottish striker Josh Landers slipped in Earthy to finish coolly.
Former Hibernian prospect Landers has been prolific in a Hammers jersey. This perfectly-weighted slide-rule pass proved that he can create chances, as well as take them.
Swindon pulled a goal back early in the second-half as one-time Liverpool youngster Paul Glatzel pounced on a mishit from one of his Robins teammates. There was a sense of inevitability about Landers’ 69th minute clincher, though. A trademark one-on-one converted with ease after Mohamadou Kante – the French powerhouse signed a new contract at West Ham just one day earlier – slipped him in.
Greg Lincoln says West Ham showed real maturity beating Ian Holloway’s side
Glatzel’s second of the night would be nothing more than a consolation, even if the visitors did still need the intervention of the crossbar and a fine late stop from goalkeeper Krisztian Hegyi.
“This is a great competition to bridge that gap from academy into senior football. Swindon are a very good team. You can see that reflected in their position in the league,” adds Lincoln, who has stepped in after Nuno promoted former Under-21 coach Mark Robson to his senior staff.
“They’re coached by a very experienced manager [ex-Blackpool and Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway]. It was a great challenge for us.
“We spoke before the game about dealing with direct play. We recognised how important it would be, those first contacts and second balls, and trying to manage them the best we could. Then, I believe, as the game went on, we started to get a bit more control, certainly in the first half. Some really nice passages of play and their press was very, very intense.
“They forced us to be as clean as we possibly could with the ball. Any mistake was jumped on, so we had to be at our very, very best to play through them,” Lincoln says, West Ham’s youngsters beating fourth-tier sides MK Dons and Swindon by an aggregate score of 8-3.
“I think the people that have been working with our players, Mark Robson, Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine, and Kevin Keen and Lauris Coggin previously; they’ve clearly given them a very good football education.
“This competition really helps to bridge that gap now, going from academy football into senior football, so it’s really pleasing on many levels to see our success in this competition.
“With West Ham teams, we always have that winning mentality. I think all those qualities that we talk about, all our values about being together, that really came out in the match tonight. We had to be at our very best to go through.”
