Everton reserves v West Ham United reserves
Barclays Premier Reserve League
Finch Farm training ground
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Kick-off: 2pm
Everton reserves 0-1 West Ham United reserves
West Ham United reserves kicked-off the new season with a superb away win courtesy of Junior Stanislas's first-half goal.
The England Under-21 attacker's strike was just reward for a terrific display from the whole side, with particular plaudits going to goalkeeper Marek Stech and forward Ahmed Abdulla. James Tomkins and Winston Reid also formed a valuable partnership in central defence, keeping Everton duo Yakubu and Jermaine Beckford at bay.
Manager Alex Dyer will be delighted with all his players, with Radoslav Kovac, Freddie Sears and Frank Nouble also getting valuable run-outs.
The reserves return to competitive action with the visit of Wigan Athletic a fortnight today. Keep an eye on whufc.com for information about that match and exclusive reaction from today's game at Finch Farm
Full time
93 mins - That's it! The full-time whistle is blown.
91 mins - Sears holds the ball up and wins a free-kick. Valuable time used up. Stech and Abdulla have really caught the eye this afternoon, but then every player in a claret and blue shirt has worked themselves into the ground.
90 mins - Into the final minute plus added-time and Everton are still pressing. The West Ham youngsters are working their socks off to protect their lead and are rewarded when Coleman smashes his cross miles too long and out for a throw to the Hammers.
88 mins - Time is ticking away for the hosts as Brown shields the ball out for a goal kick. Dyer is again patrolling the touchline, no doubt desperate for the game to be over. Barkley comes forward again, but Abdulla makes a fine tackle and Stanislas brings the ball clear.
85 mins - So close from Sears. Reid finds Stanislas with a fine pass, the winger turns and plays a ball over the top to Sears, but the forward can only smash his shot high into the side-netting at the near post.
82 mins - Good defending twice in the space of 30 seconds there with first Reid and then Modelski showing good strength and composure to keep Gueye and Silva at bay.
81 mins - Lee wins a fine challenge and tries to play in Stanislas, who is clean through, but he is halted by the offside flag. That must have been close.
77 mins - West Ham make a second change, with skipper Spence being replaced by Filip Modelski, the Poland U19 captain.
75 mins - Two changes for Everton. Beckford and Mustafi go off, with Joao Silva and David Wallace coming on.
74 mins - Stech claims the corner and bowls the ball out to Stanislas. He finds Lee, who plays the ball on to Sears, but the No10's cross is wayward.
73 mins - Everton are on top here. Coleman comes close for the Toffees, seeing his volley deflect off a defender and wide. Can West Ham hold on?
70 mins - Stech makes a truly amazing save! A through ball from Coleman loops over Tomkins to Beckford, who lobs Stech. The goalkeeper scrambles back and somehow pushes the ball on to the inside of the post and underside of the crossbar before it bounces clear. All eyes are on the assistant referee, but nothing is given.
69 mins - Spence is back on as Everton come forward through Beckford. He tries to flick the ball over Tomkins for himself, but Stech is alert and rushes out to claim.
67 mins - Beckford has no fewer than three bites of the cherry, only to see his first two shots blocked and his third roll into the arms of Stech. We're going to have a slight delay while Spence receives some treatment.
66 mins - Kovac is replaced by George Moncur in the centre of midfield.
64 mins - Nouble picks out Sears at the far post. He controls and tries to beat Bidwell, but the left-back sticks to his task to stab the ball out for a corner. Stanislas's cross is headed out to Abdulla, who catches his half-volley flush, only for Turner to fling himself to his left and turn the ball around the post. West Ham maintain the pressure and when Stanislas crosses again, the ball drops to Sears, but he can only lash his effort over the top.
59 mins - The home side come forward again through the lively Barkley, whose run is stopped by Abdulla. The first-year professional is booked for his challenge. Barkley slams the ball to the turf in frustration.
58 mins - The Hammers really fancy this. Abdulla forces Duffy into a mistake before Everton gift possession to Sears.
57 mins - Another chance for Stanislas, but this time to pick out a team-mate. Unfortunately, his cross catches on the wind and floats into the hands of Turner instead of on to the head of Nouble.
56 mins - It is real end-to-end stuff all of a sudden. First, Reid does supremely well to halt the rampaging Barkley. The Hammers break and Stanislas curls a shot a yard wide of the post from 25 yards out.
54 mins - The Toffees do mount their first attack of the half. A good piece of possession football ends with Bidwell cutting inside and trying to chip Stech, but the goalkeeper clings on. West Ham break immediately and Spence picks out Lee with a low cross, only for Duffy to block again.
52 mins - Everton are really struggling to mount any sort of attack in the face of this wind. At present, West Ham are really in control.
50 mins - Good pressure from West Ham results in Stanislas feeding Spence wide on the right. His low cross finds Sears, whose first-time shot is blocked by Duffy. Positive start to the second period from the Hammers.
49 mins - The wind is really causing havoc again. It had died down, but the gusts are really blowing the ball all over the place. I should have said that no changes were made by either side at the break.
47 mins - Sears nearly gets goal-side of Mustafi, but the No6 does well to recover and clear. Moments later, Nouble sends Sears clear again, but his cross is cut out.
46 mins - After an eight-minute half-time break, we're back underway... Moyes is standing behind Turner's goal for a closer look.
Half-time score - Everton reserves 0-1 West Ham United reserves
47 mins - That's half-time...
46 mins - Into added time and Everton win a corner off Spence down their left. Gueye crosses and Duffy heads powerfully over the bar, but Nsiala had already been penalised for a push.
44 mins - Coleman again, skipping past Brown and Abdulla, but failing to keep his shot down. Not long until half-time now.
42 mins - Just when it looks like Everton will equalise, West Ham break through Nouble down the left, but his cross is too deep for Spence. The captain retains possession and sees his cross headed behind by Duffy. The corner is lifted to the back post where Tomkins crosses back to Spence, but his volley flies over the top.
41 mins - The Toffees are really piling on the pressure. Neville finds Barkley, who cuts past one defender on to his left foot, but can only drag his shot wide of the post from 20 yards.
40 mins - Two more Gueye corners are cleared behind by Tomkins at the near post. The third is hacked clear by Kovac at the second attempt. Everton are finishing the half strongly here.
38 mins - Everton come forward again and threaten down the left through Coleman. Beckford goes down with Spence in close attendance, but nothing is given. Tomkins clears for a corner.
37 mins - I would say there are about 30 fans watching the game this afternoon, plus twice as many Everton staff and players. They watch on as Kovac is the second West Ham player to be booked for deliberate handball.
35 mins - Yakubu threads another superb ball through for Beckford. His first-time shot is powerful, but straight at Stech, who parries. Abdulla cleans up by heading the ball back to the goalkeeper.
33 mins - Neville takes the free-kick and Duffy wins it in the air, but there is neither the power nor the direction on the header to trouble Stech.
31 mins - Reid is booked for a challenge on Barkley that leaves the Everton skipper needing treatment to his right leg. Apologies if the updates are not appearing immediately, as the wind is playing havoc with the internet connection. It might not be the wind, but that's what I'm blaming for the technology issues I'm having.
30 mins - Tomkins does well to deal with Yakubu. Fans will remember that the young defender came up against the Nigerian on his first-team debut way back in March 2008. Yakubu scored that day, while Tomkins hit the crossbar in a 1-1 draw that also saw Freddie Sears hit the post.
28 mins - GOAL! Stanislas puts the ball away at the second attempt following a sweeping counter-attack from the Hammers. Tomkins hacked the ball clear and found Nouble on the right. The England Under-19 man controlled superbly on his chest and raced upfield. Stanislas cut across with a decoy run to leave Sears one-on-one on the left. A superb first-touch saw Sears make space to cross and, when Turner clashed with a defender and dropped the ball, Stanislas was on hand to score after his initial attempt had been blocked on the line.
26 mins - Turner springs Everton on the attack and Yakubu picks out Beckford with a superb pass. The former Leeds United man should score, but is denied by another superb save from Stech, who blocks with his feet. Coleman reacts quickest and tries another shot, but this time Reid is there to block.
25 mins - Sears has been superb so far. He has shown for the ball, held it up well and been very tidy in possession. Now, he has swapped with Nouble and has a run at Everton No5 Shane Duffy, forcing the defender to concede a corner. Stanislas curls it over but Turner shows good handling to claim the high ball.
23 mins - Nouble tries again, but is caught offside as he runs on to Lee's pass. The striker doesn't agree with the decision, but seeing as I'm at the other end of the pitch on a balcony outside David Moyes' office, I can't comment either way.
22 mins - Sears shows his defensive qualities, crowding out Gueye and allowing Spence to complete the clearance to Kovac. The Czech tries to pick out Nouble's run, but the ball catches on the wind and sails through to Turner.
20 mins - Just to clarify, Winston Reid is playing at centre-back alongside James Tomkins, with Jordan Spence at right-back. Meanwhile, Lee releases Sears in acres of space down the right. He runs at the defence before sending over a threatening cross-shot that rolls narrowly past the far post. Close. Sears is actually playing wide on the right of a five-man midfield, with Kovac, Lee and Ahmed Abdulla in the middle. Nouble is leading the attack on his own.
18 mins - Stanislas finds Brown wide on the left. The full-back beats his opposite number Nsiala before sending over a dangerous cross that Lee meets with a header that loops over the crossbar.
16 mins - Stech does well again. Everton keep possession well around the Hammers box before Neville feeds Barkley. The midfielder takes a touch and shoots from 25 yards, forcing the Czech goalkeeper to tip over. The corner is curled in wickedly by Gueye and Stech is again there at the near post to block before Tomkins completes the clearance.
14 mins - Better from the Hammers. Stanislas and Nouble combine well on the edge of the penalty area before Lee is crowded out as he tries to fashion a shooting chance.
10 mins - Stech does well to keep the game scoreless, diving low to his left to push the ball around the post after Coleman had beaten Brown to Reid's header. The resulting corner comes to nothing.
9 mins - Alex Dyer is right on the touchline barking orders at his players. The Hammers are playing into the wind this half, so it's going to be tough for the visitors during the opening 45 minutes. Everton, meanwhile, are having trouble judging their range of passing in the gusty wind, with plenty of balls being over-hit.
7 mins - This time it is Seamus Coleman who crosses from the right, but Tomkins judges the ball well to stoop and head clear of danger.
6 mins - Everton attack down the right flank but Nsiala's low cross is poor and Kovac is able to clear with ease from the edge of his own penalty area.
4 mins - Turner shanks his clearance out of play. From the resulting throw-in, Brown is felled by Beckford's late challenge.
2 mins - West Ham have made the better start in what are very difficult conditions. Junior Stanislas has been very lively in the early going, cutting in from the left and seeing plenty of the ball.
2.01pm - West Ham kick-off... A few of Everton's first-team players are watching on, including Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini.
1.59pm - Here come the two teams, led by captains Jordan Spence and Ross Barkley. It is a sunny yet very windy afternoon here on Merseyside. For those that know the area, we are to the south east of the city, near Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Good afternoon and welcome to Everton's Finch Farm training ground for West Ham United's first fixture of the 2010/11 Barclays Premier Reserve League season.
The Hammers have contested eight pre-season friendly matches in preparation for the campaign, beating the likes of Crystal Palace and Leicester City. Everton, meanwhile, have already drawn at Chelsea and beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers in league action.
Alex Dyer has a number of first-team squad members at his disposal this afternoon, with goalkeeper Marek Stech, defenders Winston Reid and James Tomkins and midfielders Radoslav Kovac and Junior Stanislas all starting.
Everton boss Alan Stubbs has also named a strong lineup, with Phil Neville, Yakubu and summer signing Jermaine Beckford all involved.
For anyone wondering why West Ham and Everton are meeting at reserve level, the Barclays Premier Reserve League has been re-organised this season. West Ham are in the six-team Southern division, while Everton are top of five-team Northern B. Five other teams are in Northern A. West Ham will play the Southern teams home and away and the Northern teams once each, making for a 20-game season overall.
Everton reserves: Turner, Nsiala, Bidwell, Duffy, Mustafi (Silva 75), Coleman, Neville, Barkley, Gueye, Beckford (Wallace 75), Yakubu
Subs: Davis, Akpan
West Ham United reserves: Stech, Spence (Modelski 77), Reid, Tomkins, Brown, Lee, Kovac (Moncur 66), Abdulla, Stanislas, Sears, Nouble
Subs: Cowler, Eyjolfsson, Sanchez