WEST HAM UNITED v BOLTON WANDERERS
BARCLAYS PREMIER RESERVE LEAGUE
TUESDAY 19 APRIL 2011
KICK-OFF: 7PM
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOKI PODCAST
Final score - West Ham United reserves 0-1 Bolton Wanderers reserves
95 mins - We're over the four minutes. Faubert throws in and Hall flicks on before a diving Dennis clears the box. The referee blows for full-time. The reserves will finish their season at Wolverhampton Wanderers next Wednesday evening, with whufc.com bringing you live text updates as usual. Before then, exclusive highlights and reaction from this evening's game will appear on the official website and on West Ham TV.
94 mins - West Ham have a corner. Tombides does superbly to get a cross in on the volley. Vose wins the header, but it flicks off a defender and wide. Faubert crosses and it is headed clear. West Ham come again, but can only win a throw.
93 mins - Hall gets a foot in again and feeds Tombides. He turns but is challenged by Dennis. West Ham have a throw deep in Bolton territory. Collison finds Driver, but his cross is high and an easy catch for the goalkeeper.
92 mins - Hall is fouled about 35 yards out. Faubert crosses and the ball flicks off a head to Vose. He takes a touch and chips the ball back in, but it's straight into the hands of Lainton.
91 mins - West Ham have committed men forward. Bolton pass the ball around before Obadeyi smashes a shot miles off target from 25 yards.
90 mins - We shall have at least four added minutes. Bolton waste a corner as the extra period begins.
89 mins - The referee brings his yellow card out again. It's Bolton's No6 Blakeman this time, for a foul on Tombides. Before the restart, O'Halloran is replaced by Sam Sheridan.
87 mins - Hall drops his shoulder and wins a corner. Vose takes and the ball makes its way to Collison at the far post. He swings a right leg and slices his shot wide.
85 mins - More work for referee Mr Davies. Odelusi chases down Eyjolfsson's backpass and fouls Stech as he clears. Yellow card for the replacement.
84 mins - Collison is booked for a sliding challenge in the midfield. West Ham are running out of time to find an equaliser.
82 mins - Bolton have got a bit of a spring in their step after that goal. Obadeyi sees his shot charged down straight into the path of Kellett. He shoots from an acute angle and Stech blocks with his feet.
79 mins - Lomas makes his final change. Dominic Vose replaces Edgar.
78 mins - GOAL! The corner is cleared, but Bolton pick up possession. An initial shot is blocked but the ball falls to Obadeyi, who takes a touch before curling an outstanding shot beyond the grasp of Stech and high into the net. Great finish.
77 mins - Another chance for Bolton. O'Halloran crosses low and Eyjolfsson pokes the ball out to Kellett, whose first-time shot clips a defender on the way over. Eaves is replaced by Odelusi before the corner is taken.
76 mins - McNaughton brings the ball forward Rio Ferdinand-style. He makes 30 yards before scooping a pass over the defence for Hall, but it's too strong and skips through to Lainton. Enterprising stuff from the flame-haired centre-back.
73 mins - McQuade curls over a delicious free-kick and the giant Eaves wins the header, but it flicks off Ilunga and wide for a corner. West Ham scramble the ball half-clear to Vela, whose low shot hits a defender and bounces into the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand for another corner. It's too deep.
70 mins - Twenty minutes to go... If things stay as they are, this will be West Ham's third goalless draw of the reserve league season. The other two both came against Aston Villa - the second of which was in the home game last Tuesday evening.
68 mins - This game really deserves a goal. West Ham are playing some nice stuff inside the Bolton half, but they cannot quite work an opening. Hall, Edgar and Tombides are all involved, but the move peters out when Collison overhits his pass for Ilunga. Goal kick.
65 mins - This has been so watchable, even if it is still 0-0. Vela curls over a free-kick and Riley powers a header goalwards, but Stech makes a fantastic reflex save to diver the ball behind. The corner is headed behind by Tombides before the second delivery is cleared.
63 mins - McNaughton! Driver picks out the run of the captain with a superb ball from deep. The big defender is on his own about 12 yards out and has time to control and have a cup of tea before finishing, but instead he dives and heads the ball well wide of the target. I'd say that chance fell to the wrong player!
61 mins - Ilunga is booked for holding back Obadeyi. The winger had turned him and was racing away down the right, so no complaints from the left-back.
58 mins - The break in play sees Lomas make his second change. Driver is on for Abdulla, with Faubert moving into the midfield. Bolton also make a change, with No15 Kellett replacing McGeechan.
57 mins - How have Bolton not scored there? McGeechan's low cross from the right is a teaser and both Eaves and McQuade go for it with McNaughton. Somehow, the pair contrive to poke the ball wide.
55 mins - A chance for Bolton now as Eaves breaks beyond Eyjolfsson and shoots low and hard, but Stech is there to make the save.
54 mins - Edgar does well, cutting across the pitch before playing in Moncur, whose powerful low shot is blocked by Lainton in front of his line.
52 mins - Action galore! First, McGeechan bursts past McNaughton and crosses, but Eaves cannot finish. West Ham break and Faubert sends a great cross along the penalty area for Hall. He cuts back for Moncur, whose first-time shot cannons back off the post. Tombides lashes the rebound goalwards, only for Dennis to block with his legs. Great action!
50 mins - Tombides breaks the offside trap again down the left. He cuts inside and finds Moncur. He tries to make room for a shot, but cannot, so passes the ball inside for Hall. The substitute takes a touch before lifting his shot over the crossbar from 18 yards. Hands on head for the No16.
49 mins - I might have spoke too soon. I think the poor lad has a nosebleed. On the pitch, Tombides is fouled, Edgar crosses and Moncur volleys, but it's too close to Lainton.
48 mins - Lainton clears the ball long from a backpass and a young fan tries to catch the ball. Unfortunately, it eludes his hands and the ball hits him square in the face. He keeps a brave, if a little red, face and sits down without shedding a tear.
46 mins - Tombides and Hall get the second half going. No changes from either manager at the break. Good start as Eyjolfsson sends a superb diagonal pass wide left to Edgar. He waits before playing to the overlapping Ilunga. He crosses low, but Dennis gets a foot in ahead of Tombides at the near post.
Half-time score - West Ham United reserves 0-0 Bolton Wanderers reserves
46 mins - Collison works an opening for Faubert to cross from the right. He does and the ball bounces to Edgar, who takes on two Bolton players before shooting low to the near post, where Lainton pushes the ball around for a corner. From Edgar's delivery, McNaughton is penalised for pushing. Lainton clears and it's half-time.
45 mins - Obadeyi runs forward before finding left-back McQuade. He sends over a first-time cross, but the tall Eaves can only send his header looping over the crossbar. We'll have at least one more minute...
43 mins - Collison is penalised for a foul inside the West Ham half, allowing Blakeman to send the free-kick in left-footed. Stech flaps at the cross and it hits a Bolton player on the head. Thankfully, the ball drops to a Hammers player and is cleared.
41 mins - Edgar has shown a really good attitude tonight. He exchanges passes with Tombides and then Collison before dropping his shoulder and racing infield from the left touchline. He looks up and shoots from 25 yards, but drags his effort low and wide of the near post. Encouraging stuff, but just a shame about the end-product.
40 mins - Tombides gets in behind again, but this time the angle is against him. His cross-shot is neither one nor the other and flashes across the face of goal and behind for a goal kick.
39 mins - Bolton come forward and McQuade slips as he shoots from 25 yards. The ball hits his standing foot and loops and bounces through to Stech.
37 mins - I can't believe he's not scored! Hall and Faubert do superbly to work some space wide on the left before Faubert crosses low to Tombides. He is all alone ten yards from goal, but his first-time shot is too close to Lainton, who blocks. Tombides will be disappointed with that. He normally buries those sort of chances.
34 mins - Moncur's corner lands at the feet of Edgar, who squares to Faubert. His cross drops to Collison, who takes a touch before firing a yard wide from 16 yards. However, the flag had already gone up, I think, for handball against the midfielder.
33 mins - Edgar crosses from the left and the loose ball drops to Moncur. He passes short to Abdulla, whose shot is charged down and spins wide for a corner.
31 mins - The Hammers have a spell of possession. Edgar crosses for Tombides, but Connolly heads clear to Faubert. He crosses from the right, but the ball is again headed out of the penalty area. Edgar and Ilunga are combining quite well down the left flank, with the DR Congo man putting in the miles up and down the wing to over-lap the No11.
29 mins - It's all gone a bit quiet in terms of goal-scoring chances.Tombides is working his socks off up front on his own, but he has been caught offside a couple of times already as he seeks an opening.
24 mins - Obadeyi is quick. He runs past Faubert down the left touchline and gets his cross in, but it's far too close to Stech, who kneels to gather at his near post.
22 mins - Both coaches are out on the touchline barking instructions at their players. It's been a competitive opening quarter to the game, with plenty of strong challenges going in. Hall is playing on the right of the front three, with Tombides through the middle and Edgar down the left.
20 mins - Edgar picks out the run of Faubert with a superb cross-field pass. The Frenchman takes it in his stride and crosses over the head of Lainton, but right-back Riley is there to control on his chest and clear for a throw. During the break in play, Dyer is replaced by Robert Hall.
18 mins - Bolton have gained a real foothold in the game now, largely down to the clever movement of Obadeyi and O'Halloran. The towering Eaves has a shot on goal, but McNaughton blocks and Ilunga brings the ball clear.
16 mins - O'Halloran goes on a strong run through the middle, only for an inch-perfect tackle from Abdulla to stop him in his tracks. That was a fine tackle - the sort that makes you say 'Tackle' to yourself in a low, knowing voice.
14 mins - Moncur loops a fine ball over the top for Collison, who lobs Lainton with a neat finish. Unfortunately, the No8 was offside.
11 mins - Obadeyi again, racing down the inside-left channel before being challenged by a sliding Faubert. From the throw, the No11 is involved again and wins a free-kick near the touchline. McQuade crosses and Stech catches.
9 mins - Nearly ten minutes in and Bolton have hardly had a kick. They finally have some possession and Obadeyi gets in behind Eyjolfsson. Stech rushes from his goal, but the No11 gets there first and prods the ball past him. Thankfully, Obadeyi's shot bounces a fair way wide of the far post. That was still a bit lucky for West Ham, though. They can't let this good start go to waste.
7 mins - Edgar's delivery is good again and McNaughton wins the header. It hits a defender and goes behind. Edgar's corner is floated over and Eyjolfsson glances it wide of the far post.
6 mins - Collison is heavily involved already. He starts a move that ends with Tombides skipping around Connolly and pulling the ball back for the Welshman, but Dennis makes a superb tackle to divert the ball behind. The corner is too deep, but Ilunga retrieves and is fouled wide on the left.
5 mins - Faubert's ambitious cross-field pass for Edgar is needlessly headed behind for a corner by Riley. Edgar's corner is headed clear by Dennis. When the ball is crossed back into the box, Eyjolfsson is offside.
3 mins - Obadeyi tries to run Eyjolfsson, but the Iceland U21 centre-back uses his body well and eases the striker off the ball before poking it safely back to Stech, who clears to halfway. Tombides holds the ball up and Dyer tries to burst through, but his run is ended.
1 min - Just 20 seconds in and Edgar is fouled wide on the left. He takes the free-kick himself and it's dangerous, but a Bolton defender rises highest to head clear ten yards from his own goal.
7.01pm - A few seconds late, we're underway...
7pm - Captains McNaughton and Connolly shake hands and it's Bolton who will kick-off shooting towards the Bobby Moore Stand.
6.58pm - West Ham are first out of the tunnel. No sign of Bolton just yet! About 30 seconds later, Mark Connolly leads out the Trotters.
6.50pm - The shooting practice that is held to finish the pre-match warm-up is a bit of a spectacle in itself. Dylan Tombides looks to be the best, although Robert Hall and Anthony Edgar run him close. Bolton are still playing keep-ball on the far side of the pitch - do they know it's a 7pm kick-off?
6.45pm - It is a truly gorgeous Tuesday evening in the East End. In fact, I'm reliably informed that it is hotter here than it is in Ibiza! Thankfully, the pitch is in shade and the temperatures have dropped from eariler in the day, when they were touching 80 degrees here in London. Both teams are going through their final warm-ups on a lush, green Boleyn Ground pitch.
Good evening and welcome to a warm and sunny Boleyn Ground for this evening's Barclays Premier Reserve League fixture between West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers.
The Hammers will be keen to finish their complement of home matches with a victory over a young Trotters side tonight, with manager Steve Lomas able to call upon five senior professionals in the shape of Jack Collison, Kieron Dyer, Julien Faubert, Herita Ilunga and Marek Stech. That quintet are joined in the starting XI by a host of promising first-year professionals and scholars, including England U18 midfielder George Moncur and Australia U17 striker Dylan Tombides.
Bolton, meanwhile, have named a young and inexperienced side packed with scholars. Michael O'Halloran and Topi Obadeyi were both in the Trotters' side that won 2-0 here in the FA Youth Cup third round in December 2007, while goalkeeper Rob Lainton appeared as an outfield substitute in the same tie!
West Ham sit third in the Southern Group table with two fixtures remaining. Victory tonight take them a point above second-placed Chelsea, albeit that the Blues have four matches still to play. Bolton are bottom of Northern Group A, having won seven and lost eight of their 18 games played so far.
The Hammers complete their Barclays Premier Reserve League season with a trip to AFC Telford United's New Bucks Head stadium to face Wolverhampton Wanderers next Wednesday evening.
West Ham United reserves: Stech, Faubert, Ilunga, McNaughton, Eyjolfsson, Abdulla (Driver 58), Collison, Moncur, Dyer (Hall 20), Edgar (Vose 79), Tombides
Subs not used: Larkins, Wearen
Bolton Wanderers reserves: Lainton, Riley, McQuade, Dennis, Connolly, Blakeman, McGeechan (Kellett 58), Vela, Eaves (Odelusi 77), O'Halloran, Obadeyi
Subs not used: Sheridan, Lynch, Irwin
