“We weren’t happy with the overall performance in the first half.”
Republic of Ireland fans rejoiced as Evan Ferguson was named in the starting line-up for the first time since joining West Ham United.
The striker was named in the Hammers’ team for their 1-0 loss to Wolves in the Premier League on Tuesday night.
However, the opening half was a big disappointment for the Meath native.
He failed to make an impact and missed a great chance to put his side ahead, before being hooked for returning German forward Niclas Fulkrug.
After the game, manager Graham Potter explained his reasoning for taking off both Ferguson and Luis Guilherme at half-time.
He said: “We weren’t happy with the overall performance in the first half. We had a good chance to score (through Ferguson), which we didn’t take.
“In the first half, we were pushed back too much, so we had to adjust at half-time, which we did, and we were a lot better in the second half.
“We were happy for Fullkrug to get 45 minutes. The more he plays, the better he will get, but overall, we’re disappointed.
“We’ve been building him up, and he’s been working hard. We’ve had to do some work with him behind closed doors to get him the match time.
You can’t replicate the Premier League but credit to him on how he’s been and his ability to influence the game like he did.
“You can see he gives us a different option which we haven’t had. He helps us be more direct and more vertical.
“I’ve been very impressed with him. His attributes include touch, intelligence and quality around the box. He’s going to help us a lot.”
