JAMES Collins' first goal in claret and blue secured a 1-1 draw
for West Ham United at Portsmouth, after Gary O'Neil had opened
the scoring for the home side.
With three players, including substitute Danny Gabbidon, succumbing
to injury in the first-half it was a magnificent effort from Alan
Pardew's men in the second period to earn a vital away point
from former boss Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth.
Pards made two changes from the side that lost 4-2 to Newcastle,
fit-again Nigel Reo-Coker coming in for Carl Fletcher, who dropped
to the bench, and Shaun Newton replaced the injured Yossi Benayoun.
James Collins continued to deputise for the injured Danny Gabbidon,
while Reo-Coker captained the team on his return.
Portsmouth started brightly, Dario Silva testing Roy Carroll with a
low drive inside two minutes, which Marlon Harewood answered with a
smart turn and shot from just inside the box that flew wide of
Jamie Ashdown's near post.
Hammers suffered a blow after only 12 minutes when Mullins had to
leave the field with concussion after a clash of heads, to be
replaced by Fletcher.
And after a steady stream of pressure it was Portsmouth that opened
the scoring after 17 minutes. Lomana Lua Lua showed great skill to
beat Paul Konchesky out on the touchline and play in a low cross
that Laurent Robert touched back to Gary O'Neil, who curled a
shot past Carroll from 12 yards out to make it 1-0.
On 20 minutes Portsmouth suffered an injury blow of their own when
defender Linvoy Primus limped from the field to be replaced by
Brian Priske.
Roy Carroll survived a scare on 25 minutes when under pressure from
the pacy Lua Lua he appeared to catch the ball while standing
outside his penalty area. Referee Alan Wiley, who was badly
positioned standing half way up the pitch, waved play on.
With Portsmouth dominating Hammers were struggling to get into this
game on a cold, Boxing Day afternoon on the South Coast.
Their chances were dealt a further blow on 33 minutes when Tomas
Repka pulled up clutching his hamstring and limped off. His
replacement was Danny Gabbidon, after making a brave recovery from
the badly gashed knee he sustained at Blackburn.
Instantly though Gabbidon started hobbling, and appreared to be in
severe discomfort. The defender was soon forced into action,
kicking clear a low cross from Brian Priske inside his own
six-yard box.
Gabbidon tried to continue, but there was no way, and with six
minutes to go until half-time the Wales international accepted the
inevitable and made way for Christian Dailly.
Carroll then had to be alert to race from his line and kick the
ball high into the stands with Lua Lua bearing down.
It was all Portsmouth as the game reached the half-way stage with
West Ham United behind 1-0.
HT: 0-1
Hammers started the second-half in determined mood, looking to defy
the trio of injuries that had marred their first-half display.
Christian Dailly went close with a header not long after the
re-start, before Carroll was forced into a smart save at his near
post by Matthew Taylor's shot.
Twsiting and turning on the edge of the box Lua Lua then let fly
with a stinging drive that Carroll watched all the way and gathered
at the second attempt.
With Hammers showing much more energy in the second period Marlon
Harewood was desperately unlucky not to equalise when he brought
down a high ball 20 yards out and unleashed a stinging low
half-volley that had Ashdown well beaten but came back off the
inside of the post.
Just a minute later and Alan Pardew's men would not be denied
though, James Collins scoring his first goal for the Hammers to
make it 1-1. West Ham won a free-kick down by the left touchline,
which was whipped in by Matty Etherington.
Anton Ferdinand rose to knock the ball down at the back post to
central defensive partner Collins and he fired low past Ashdown
into the bottom right-hand corner to level the scores.
Moments later and Shaun Newton should have given Hammers the lead,
but after a slip from a Pompey defender he blazed high and wide on
the angle with just Ashdown to beat.
The jinking skills of Lua Lua remained a threat to Hammers though
and the Pompey striker twice tested Carroll with good efforts as
the home side looked to re-establish their advantage.
Hammers were not settling for a point either though, underlined by
a flowing move ten minutes from time that ended up with Dailly
drilling a shot just over the bar from the edge of the area.
Matty Etherington then went close from a free-kick 25 yards out,
which floated just over, before Newton burst through the Pompey
defence only to be foiled by a brave save from Jamie Ashdown at his
feet.
Both teams never gave up fighting, but for Laurent Robert his
determination landed him with a red card on 85 minutes when he
scythed down Paul Konchesky and earned a well-deserved second
yellow card.
Down to 10 men it was West Ham's turn to go on the attack, and
a wonderful turn and flighted shot from Harewood very nearly caught
Ashdown napping, but the young goalkeeper made a safe catch.
Dailly came so close to snatching a winner for West Ham in stoppage
time when he met Etherington's corner with a bullet header that
flew just wide of the post.
But at the final whistle Hammers could celebrate a hard-earned
point on the South Coast. Honours finished even between Alan Pardew
and former Hammers boss Harry Redknapp, but after losing three
players to injury in the first-half Hammers did excellently to walk
away from this game with a 1-1 draw.
Cool Collins Seals South Coast Point
26th December 2005