Football: FA Youth Cup Final - Hammers kids earn a 21,000 fan salute

West Ham United Yth 6 Coventry City Yth 0 West Ham win 9-0 on agg

WEST HAM showed there are plenty more where Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard came from as their latest youth crop demolished Coventry in The Times FA Youth Cup final second leg at Upton Park last night.

Strikers Bertie Brayley and Richard Garcia struck two goals each, but there were also outstanding performances from the other two scorers on the night, defender Adam Newton and winger Michael Carrick. And that is without mentioning the hottest prospect of them all, their midfield maestro Joe Cole, who ran the show.

After winning last week's first leg 3-0, the club did not anticipate the level of support last night. Only three sides of the ground were open, but officials had to open the East Stand at the last minute and delay the kick-off by 10 minutes as more than 21,000 flocked in to witness a memorable night.

The Hammers opened the scoring after two minutes when Brayley steered home Newton's cross, and they never looked back. Newton added a marvellous individual second and when Rob Harris, the referee who had his dressing room trashed by Ian Wright on his last visit, gave a controversial penalty, Garcia kept up his record of scoring in every round. Hammers added another three after the break as poor Coventry were simply overwhelmed, a thrilling sight for the Hammers manager, Harry Redknapp, and most of the first team watching from the stand.