The West Ham Academy received a huge boost in the second half of last night’s Premier League draw against Bournemouth.
Following a week where I had been highly critical of Hammers’ head coach [Julen Lopetegui’s](https://www.claretandhugh.info/julen-lopetegui/) reluctance to use any **West Ham** youngsters in the league this season, it was great to see both Ollie Scarles and Kaelan Casey get some game time last night.
Scarles was introduced in the 73rd minute of the game, and Casey was brought on in injury time. However, what was most telling about the Academy graduates’ introduction was the fact they were utilised when the game still hung in the balance.
Lewis Orford was also on the bench but remained an unused substitute. Lopetegui, however, deserves credit for using two of the Hammers’ Youth Cup-winning side during a [Premier League](https://www.claretandhugh.info/premier-league-bio/) game.
The Irons boss will have earned himself some credit by involving the youngsters, and one can only hope that their presence on the bench becomes a regular occurrence.