West Ham produced a terrific first-half performance just when they needed it as they swept into the quarter-finals of the main cup competition of the HKFC Philips Lighting International Sevens yesterday.
Needing a victory to qualify from pool A after labouring to a win and a draw in their previous two matches, the Hammers defeated two-time Hong Kong sevens champions Urawa Red Diamonds 2-0, thanks to goals from forwards Zavon Hines and Junior Stanislas at Football Club.
The London side, competing at the sevens for the first time since 2002, made their presence felt again as they booked a place against the Australian Institute of Sport, who qualified from pool B.
The win over Urawa delighted West Ham academy director Tony Carr, who believes his young side could go far.
'It was our third game after a slow start and we set out to really get at them right from the beginning,' he said.
'We got a bonus with the first two goals so I am really pleased with that. Now, it's the knock-out phase and anything can happen.'
Carr said Hines was one of the 'finds' of West Ham at youth level.