West Ham United 2 Blackburn Rovers 1

Sears gives West Ham glimpse of bright future by David Lacey

West Ham United will always be about local heroes. The club may sign players from far and wide but Upton Park keeps a special place in its heart for an Essex boy made good. A roar of anticipation greeted Freddie Sears, an 18-year-old from Hornchurch, when he began to warm up and when he eventually came off the bench his 15 minutes of fame were virtually guaranteed... Guardian

Sears takes honours for Hammers' academy by Will Buckley

This was a game that might have meant more to Blackburn, who still had a few lingering hopes of securing a European place. But for West Ham, whose season has run aground with a flurry of big defeats, it was of fundamental significance. Had they contrived to lose 4-0 for a fourth consecutive time, they could have started to believe they were fated to do so every time they played... Observer

Sears blazes a trail for revival of Hammers' tradition by Paul Newman

Alan Curbishley would no doubt prefer to have something tangible to play for in the closing weeks of the season but being in the Premier League's comfort zone does have its consolations. If a Uefa Cup place still beckoned – or if the relegation trapdoor remained ajar – the West Ham manager might have thought twice about giving a debut to a teenage striker at this stage of the campaign... Independent

Sears follows in Cottee's footsteps to boost Hammers by Paul Newman

They love a home-grown hero down in the East End. Freddie Sears is the latest product of one of English football's most celebrated academies and the 18-year-old striker from Romford in Essex yesterday emulated a feat performed 25 years ago by Tony Cottee, with whom he has already been compared, by scoring on his Upton Park debut... Independent on Sunday

Freddie Sears nods West Ham winner by Staff

FREDDIE SEARS, an 18-year-old home-grown striker, came off the bench to record the most glorious debut for West Ham, scoring the winning goal to bring to an end a sorry sequence of heavy defeats. The England Under-19 international was cheered to the rafters at the end of a week in which he signed a new deal, but his storybook contribution might not have mattered had Dean Ashton not performed such a pivotal role... Sunday Times

Special operator Sears cracks code for Curbishley by Staff

West Ham United had started playing in binary: 0-1, 1-1, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 1-0, a code of results signifying little entertainment. Then came March and the numbers went from dull to dire: 0-4, 0-4, 0-4. The sequence of suffering was broken on Saturday with a simple sum: 1 x 18. That is, one 18-year-old, Freddie Sears, who scored the winner against Blackburn Rovers six minutes into his debut... Times

Debutant Freddie Sears adds romantic touch by Patrick Barclay

West Ham fans gave credit where it was due, roaring out the name of Dean Ashton shortly after the 18-year-old debutant Freddie Sears had made himself a near-instant hero by scoring the late goal that condemned those bold travellers Blackburn to only their fourth away defeat of the Premier League season... Sunday Telegraph

Freddie Sears enters West Ham folklore by Ben Findon

Based in Hornchurch, nurtured on the fields of the famed Little Heath academy and unleashed at Upton Park, Freddie Sears announced himself as a local hero in the finest West Ham tradition by taking just six minutes to crown his debut with a winning goal... Telegraph

Curbishley has no fears that Sears will stay the distance by Simon Cass

West Ham fans could be forgiven for thinking that it is just a matter of time before Freddie Sears, the latest product of their famed academy to make his mark in the first team, is poached... Mail