West Ham made the perfect start to their pre-season preparations as they beat Stevenage 5-0 at Broadhall Way on Wednesday evening.
Forgotten man James Ward-Prowse, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Burnley, opened the scoring in the 13th minute as he followed in to finish on the rebound after his initial effort was blocked. Taty Castellanos doubled the visitors' advantage inside 25 minutes as he slotted home after latching onto Jarrod Bowen's through ball.
Nuno Espirito Santo made ten changes at the break, but the goals did not stop coming as academy graduate Lewis Orford curled in a third before Josh Ajala inadvertently deflected the ball home from Kaelan Casey's volley. Summer signing Jett Murphy then rounded off a comfortable evening by tapping in his first West Ham goal in the final minute of the game.
James Ward-Prowse
James Ward-Prowse's West Ham career was considered to be in major doubt when Nuno decided to send him on loan to Premier League relegation rivals Burnley in January. Back with the squad now, though, there is no denying that the former England international has all the ability to play an important role for West Ham if Nuno opts to keep him.
The 31-year-old opened the scoring as he finished at the second time of asking from Pablo Felipe's cross before helping his side weather some rare Stevenage pressure with a few key defensive interventions. Ward-Prowse's set-piece deliveries give West Ham a real edge, while his experience and composure will prove useful with an expectation on the Hammers to get hold of the ball and play front-footed football this season. Nuno has a decision to make over whether or not to keep Ward-Prowse at the club, but as he showed against Stevenage, he still has a lot left to give.
Jarrod Bowen
The best piece of business West Ham will do all summer will have been to tie down Jarrod Bowen for at least another season. The West Ham captain is the beating heart of Nuno's team, and in the absence of Crysencio Summerville, he will take on even more responsibility in the final third.
Bowen was at his brilliant best against Stevenage, with his deft through balls helping open up the space for West Ham's first two goals. Not only will Bowen's quality on the pitch provide a boost this season, but in buying into the new direction of the club, he has helped build a feeling of togetherness ahead of the club's first season back in the Championship for 14 years.
Airidas Golambeckis
The only player to stay on after half-time, Airidas Golambeckis played more minutes than anyone else against Stevenage as Nuno put his faith in the young defender. Produced an important block as Stevenage looked for a route back into the game and ultimately came off the pitch after 81 minutes with his clean sheet intact.
The England youth international's quality in possession helped West Ham dominate, and he played an important role in ensuring standards did not slip after Nuno rang the changes. After being promoted to the first team last season, Golambeckis will be hoping his pre-season form can see him push for a senior debut this term.
