Barnet kept up their perfect start to pre-season with a 2-1 win over West Ham United Under-23s at The Hive on Saturday.

The Bees named another strong team against the Premier League 2 Division 2 winners, making two changes from Wednesday's 1-0 win over Swansea.

And their bright performance from that giant-killing continued against the Hammers' talented development outfit, with Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro firing them into a first-half lead.

John Akinde, who scored the only goal against the Swans, doubled their advantage right on the hour mark with a composed finish, before Reece Hannam pulled one back for West Ham with 18 minutes to go.

Goalscorer Akpa Akpro and Ricardo Santos were the two names given a chance to stake their claim from the off by head coach Rossi Eames, leaving Dan Sweeney and Darnell Smith on the bench.

Barnet were donned in their all-blue away kit for the first time, but had no reason to be down with the way they started the game.

Akpa Akpro's dangerous delivery was met by a John Akinde header, but blocked to safety in the first opening of the afternoon.

West Ham replied with a series of half-chances but Jack Taylor swung the game back in Barnet's favour, firing just over from the edge of the box.

It would be the midfielder's final contribution as he was replaced by Wesley Fonguck after 20 minutes as a precaution.

Fumnaya Shomotun was the next to chance his arm, like Taylor seeing an effort from the edge of the area just evade the crossbar, before scuffing a shot wide when well-placed.

The game looked to be heading for a half-time stalemate until Akpa Akpro decided he had other ideas, lifting a fine pass from Akinde over visiting goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics and into the net.

The Hammers stopper did better to keep out Fonguck's fine effort shortly after the interval, where the London Stadium side had made three changes to their line-up.

Eames was planning to make more wholesale substitutions on the hour mark - but would have been happy to be delayed as the Bees doubled their advantage.

Akinde fired high beyond Matrevics following good build-up between last season's top scorer and Shomotun, who waited for his overlapping run before laying off a fine assist.

Richard Brindley earned his first minutes for the club when he and nine others were eventually introduced, and came close to a prefect start as from a direct run he fired just beyond the post.

Dan Kemp played Hannam in for the visitors in a rare attack with 18 minutes to go, and he slotted beyond Craig Ross to halve the arrears.

But the Hammers rarely looked likely to fashion an equaliser, and Akinola instead went closest in the closing stages, forcing a sharp save from Matrevics in the final minute.

Barnet: Stephens (Ross 62); Clough (Tutonda 62), Santos (Akinola 62), H Taylor (Smith 62), Johnson (Brindley 62); Weston (Kyei 62), J Taylor (Fonguck 20); Shomotun (Amaluzor 62), Campbell-Ryce (Sweeney 62), Akpa Akpro (Payne 62); Akinde (Nicholls 62).

Not used: None.

Goals: Akpa Akpro 39, Akinde 61.

West Ham Under-23s: Matrevics; Pike (Ngakia, 67), T. Akinola, Alese (Wells, 60), Neufville (Hannam, 60); Coventry (Rey, 46), Kemp, Powell (Scully, 46), Diangana (Belic, 60); Kristofferson (Henry, 67), Gordon (Hector-Ingram, 46).

Not used: Forde.

Goals: Hannam 72.