Norwich City Under-18s put in a battling display at home to West Ham United in the Premier League South but fell to a 2-0 home defeat.
The under-18s, who have only picked up one victory from the opening 11 games of the season, started the match brightly and had a couple of chances to nudge themselves in front before conceding from a set-piece.
The team then didn't react well enough to a quickly-taken throw in just before half-time and found themselves 2-0 down at the break. The team showed plenty of spirit in the second half but were not able to force their way back into the game.
Alex Matos was first to send an effort goalwards when two strong challenges from Dubem Eze on the edge of the area set Norwich on the attack. Eze squared a ball to Matos 10 yards out but unfortunately his strike was straight at Mason Terry in the West Ham goal and he made a comfortable save.
Four minutes later and Ken Aboh worked the ball to Kenny Coker on the right side of the area but his effort was blocked before a cross into the area was punched clear by Terry.
The early pressure kept building though and Aboh sent another effort narrowly wide before having an appeal for a penalty turned down.
So, it was against the run of play when West Ham United took the lead. It came from a corner, after Reece Trueman had spilled a Lewis Orford shot at his near post forcing Brad Hills to clear from inside his own six yard box. The ball into the box was central and George Earthy leaped highest to head West Ham into a 22nd-minute lead.
However, on the half hour, Norwich should have been level when Aboh was played down the left and sent in an early cross looking for Coker. Unfortunately his strike partner didn't connect well with the ball in and his shot went high and wide.
Therefore, it was a double blow when the visitors made Norwich pay for those missed chances in the final minute of the first half when a quickly taken throw-in saw Divin Mubamba pick up the ball inside the area and work an angle on his right foot before drilling a shot back across goal and into the bottom corner for 2-0.
Aboh then went close to pulling a goal back five minutes into the second half when Coker sent him through on goal. However, under pressure from a defender and being forced wide, he could only find the side netting at the keeper's near post.
Osman Foyo, who got forward well from left-back position all game, then had an effort from the edge of the box well blocked by a defender before Ola Okeowo, on as a subsitute, put in a superb sliding block to deny Lewis Orford the chance to make it 3-0 from close range.
Matos then sent an effort whistling past the top corner on 66 minutes before the chances started to dry up for both teams. On a slick surface though, Norwich kept crunching into tackles and get trying to work an opening but it was West Ham who went closest to scoring in the closing stages when Robinson hit an effort from distance that was comfortably saved by Trueman.
Norwich City: Trueman; Jambang, Hills (C) (Okeowo, 62), Doy, Foyo; Welch, Brooke (Roberts, 62), Matos, Eze (Reindorf, 73); Aboh, Coker.
Subs not used: St Paul, Barker-McCabe
Bookings: Matos (90)
West Ham United: Terry; Tarima, Scarles, Clayton (Evans, 64), Robinson; Rigge (Kodua, 67), Woods (c), Orford (Casey, 88), Falase, Earthy; Mubama.
Subs not used: Knightbridge, Jollife.
Goals: Earthy (23), Mubama (44)
Bookings: Clayton (20), Robinson (49), Falase (84)