WEST HAM's academy chief Tony Carr believes that goal hero Freddie Sears could rival Upton Park legend Tony Cottee.

The 17-year-old made a dream debut at the weekend, when he came off the bench to score the 81st minute winner against Blackburn Rovers.

The teenage scoring sensation, who has netted a hatful of goals at both youth and reserve team level now looks set for big things at Upton Park.

He will have to go someway though to match the prolific Cottee, who rattled in 116 goals in just 280 appearances during two spells with the Irons.

But 57-year-old Carr, who has been responsible for bringing through some of the best players to pull on Hammers shirts over the last 30 years including Cottee, has tipped Sears for the top.

He said: "He is a goalscorer in the Tony Cottee mould. Seeing what he did on Saturday took me back to when Tony scored on his debut against Tottenham as a 17-year-old kid.

"They are similar in height. although I guess that Tony is a bit more sturdy in his frame.

"But Freddie is still tough and has plenty of heart. We played against Millwall early in the season.

"He scored four goals then came off and said 'My foot hurts a bit'. We took him for an X-ray the next day and discovered his foot was broken.

"He only came back just before Christmas after three months out."

Can Freddie Sears