Doncaster 0-1 West Ham United FT

DONCASTER ROVERS v WEST HAM UNITED
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY 13 AUGUST 2011
KICK-OFF: 3PM

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Final score - Doncaster Rovers 0-1 West Ham United

94 mins - Taylor and O'Brien show great experience to head the ball back to Green. He clears and the final whistle is blown! West Ham have won! Don't forget, full post-match reaction and highlights will appear on whufc.com and West Ham TV soon. West Ham are back in action at Watford on Tuesday evening. Join us again then for what promises to be another exciting 90 minutes.

93 mins - I'm sure we'll have at least another minute. Tomkins is back on.

92 mins - 100 seconds to go... Brown catches Tomkins with an arm and the No5 is down on the turf. Referee Mr Mathieson suggests it was not an elbow by pointing to his hand. Brown has been booked, but he won't see a red card. Tomkins has the physio on.

91 mins - Into the first of three added minutes...

90 mins - Into the final minute of the 90 and West Ham have the ball inside the Doncaster half until Parker loses it. Dumbuya's cross is too high. Doncaster keep it but the ball inside Taylor is too strong and rolls behind for a goal kick.

87 mins - Good play down the West Ham left involving Taylor and Nolan ends with a diagonal cross for Cole. He looks to have got in behind Friend but cannot make contact with the ball. Tentative penalty appeals are waved away by Mr Mathieson.

86 mins - Cole gives away a foul, allowing Stanislas to come on for Ilunga. Taylor goes to left-back.

84 mins - O'Brien does just enough to head away Coppinger's cross. Taylor helps out and his long ball is helped on by Cole, who then forces Friend to concede a throw inside the Rovers half. Good play.

83 mins - A third change from Rovers manager O'Driscoll, bringing on Hird for Gillett. Stanislas will be on soon for West Ham.

83 mins - Doncaster right-back Dumbuya looks a good player. He does well again there to lose Taylor and set up another attack. Thankfully, Reid makes a strong challenge.

81 mins - Green clips the ball forward and Cole wins it. It looks for a second as if Sears might be in, but Friend makes a good interception.

79 mins - Sears nearly benefits from a Cole knock-down, but he's forced wide. He lays the ball back to O'Brien, who finds Noble. The No16 crosses, but Cole can't get any power on his header.

78 mins - This is not good for the nerves. Coppinger crosses and Gillett has time to control and shoot on the turn, but Green is there to beat the ball aside. The corner is cleared.

77 mins - Taylor nicks possession outside the Doncaster box and finds Sears. He takes a touch, but his cross lands on top of the goal.

76 mins - Barnes and Bennett are replaced by Keegan and Baxendale.

76 mins - The hosts will make two changes, but they might not need to as Dumbuya curls a cross over and Coppinger's glancing header flies no more than a yard wide of the far post with Green beaten.

75 mins - Doncaster are readying a substitute in Paul Keegan. Before then, they have won a corner away to my right of O'Brien. Reid and Tomkins somehow get the ball away.

72 mins - A second change from Big Sam as Sears replaces Collison.

70 mins - Cole does well there, winning a free-kick from Naylor. Noble's delivery is mis-directed and Woods collects. Twenty minutes remaining...

69 mins - Golden chance for Cole. Reid curls a superb pass over the Doncaster defence and the No9 is onside. He lets the ball bounce once, twice and slams a rising shot into the net. Unfortunately, it's the side of the net and not the back of it.

67 mins - Cripes! Parker loses possession inside the Doncaster half and it's two-on-two. Ilunga and O'Brien hold position well and Coppinger makes a right mess of his cross, allowing the DR Congo defender to get a toe in and clear from inside his own penalty area. Rovers keep the ball but the attack ends when Barnes slams a 25-yard effort high over the crossbar. Relief all-round!

66 mins - Good stuff from Cole, who holds the ball up and spins away. West Ham keep the ball and O'Brien is fouled. The free-kick drops to Nolan, who controls and tries to lob Woods. Again, the goalkeeper is there to flick the ball away.

64 mins - Nolan hooks the ball over but Taylor's header flies wide. Cole retrieves and plays in O'Brien. He stands up his cross and Naylor heads behind. Taylor floats over the corner and Tomkins meets it, but his header is straight into the hands of Woods. Good effort.

63 mins - Parker blocks a shot from Brown and the ball spins out for a throw. Cole comes on for Piquionne. The ball is hurled in and Tomkins clears with his head. Moments later, Parker is fouled and West Ham have a chance to draw breath.

61 mins - Cole is called back and is being issued with instructions by Big Sam and Neil McDonald. Cole has put the wrong shirt on! He has the No15 and FAYE on his back! The mistake is spotted and Cole does a quick change!

60 mins - That's better. Piquionne gets down the right and wins a corner. Taylor to take... Friend heads it clear. Ilunga tries to deliver again, but slams his cross high into the stand.

59 mins - Big Sam is out on the edge of his technical area. He must be a little bit concerned about the possession Doncaster are having here. He has also sent Cole, Sears and Stanislas out for a run on the touchline.

58 mins - Reid is back on after a quick pit stop.

57 mins - We're going to see our first yellow card as Brown catches Reid late. It wasn't deliberate, but the Kiwi goes down and the referee books the Rovers No9.

56 mins - Doncaster cross deep to the far post and Gillett gets to the ball and Green cannot prevent the corner. The ball comes over and O'Brien does brilliantly to head clear under pressure from Friend.

55 mins - The crowd is 11,344, nearly a third of which are West Ham supporters. Not bad going, that. In fact, there are exactly 3,296 Hammers here.

54 mins - West Ham come forward through Nolan. He passes wide left for Collison, who lets the ball run to Ilunga, but he's offside.

53 mins - The home side are getting a bit of a head of steam up here. Bennett does well before O'Brien is penalised for handball. Oster curls the free-kick over and Barnes glances his header well wide of the far post.

52 mins - A chance for Doncaster as a hopeful ball forward by Gillett is poked behind by Tomkins. Coppinger's corner is cleared by Reid and then O'Brien.

50 mins - Ironic cheers as Green slices his clearance, but Nolan and Taylor combine to work the ball to Collison and Ilunga wins a throw. The referee has a word with the DR Congo man about not stepping on the touchline as he throws the ball in. He takes it short this time, but it comes to nothing.

49 mins - Green punts the ball long and Piquionne misses his header, but the ball almost drops to Taylor. Doncaster scramble it away for a throw.

48 mins - It's a warm afternoon here in Doncaster and manager Allardyce has taken off his jacket for the second half. Meanwhile, Gillett crosses and Reid does well to head clear.

47 mins - Tomkins' long diagonal free-kick is headed out for a throw. Ilunga hurls the ball into the six-yard box, but Woods claims well.

46 mins - Collison and Taylor get the game back underway. West Ham are shooting right-to-left towards their own supporters. Seconds in, a long ball forward is chased by Nolan, who goes down under a challenge from Naylor inside the box. The skipper looks to the referee, but nothing is given.

Doncaster are first out of the tunnel, closely followed by Nolan and his team-mates. No changes from either manager at the break.

Good news from Kingstonian, where the Under-18s have recorded a 4-0 victory this afternoon. Elliot Lee and Jack Powell netted a brace apiece.

Half-time score - Doncaster Rovers 0-1 West Ham United

47 mins - That's half-time and a very acceptable 45 minutes from West Ham. Nolan's first goal for the club has given them an advantage Doncaster rarely looked like wiping out. Still, we're only half way through, so join us again in about 15 minutes for the second half.

46 mins - We'll have a minimum of one minute of added time.

45 mins - A spell of possession ends with Green's pass being flicked-on by Piquionne, but it's just too strong for Taylor. Woods collects.

42 mins - Spurr's cross bounces past Tomkins and Brown gets his toe to the ball, but it rolls harmlessly wide.

41 mins - Another Doncaster attack comes to nothing as a free-kick is conceded on the far side. A second goal would give West Ham a cushion I really think would be enough to secure all three points. Can they find that goal before half-time?

38 mins - I must confess I hadn't seen much of Joey O'Brien before he joined the Hammers, but he certainly gives his all. The Irishman has thundered into challenge after challenge during the opening 38 minutes.

36 mins - West Ham are winning all the second balls and the home fans are getting a bit frustrated. Parker is fouled inside the Doncaster half. Taylor wastes the free-kick, unfortunately.

33 mins - Taylor crosses from the left but Tomkins cannot direct his header back into the six-yard box. Goal kick. Woods kicks the ball straight into touch. West Ham work the ball from left to right before Collison beats Spurr and crosses. Taylor gets his head to the ball, but it flies high and over the crossbar.

32 mins - Nolan calls for the ball to be hit long over his head. Tomkins obliges and picks out Piquionne, but Dumbuya is quick and stabs the ball behind for a corner. Tomkins gets to the corner at the far post, but it's deflected into the side-netting. Corner again.

31 mins - A Doncaster player is down clutching his face after an accidental collision with O'Brien. It's Spurr. The players use the break in play to take a quick drink. After a quick check-up, Spurr rejoins the fray.

30 mins - To be fair to Doncaster, they do like to knock the ball about. The pitch here is very good, especially considering a big rugby league match was played here last weekend. The only bare patch is where the stage was set up for a recent Westlife concert...

25 mins - Green's long clearance is headed behind for a corner by Naylor. Taylor curls the ball over and Tomkins heads too high.

24 mins - Faye and Cole replace Sears and Stanislas on the touchline. They get a warm reception from the away fans bathed in sunshine away to my left. On the pitch, Collison gives the ball away and Bennett gets away from Tomkins. O'Brien covers and gets in a fine challenge. The ball loops through to Green.

22 mins - Sears and Stanislas are out warming-up as a long pass falls at the feet of Piquionne, but he's challenged before he can get the shot away.

20 mins - Ilunga comes forward and feeds Collison, whose shot is blocked by Friend. Doncaster break and Brown is one-on-one with Tomkins. The defender shows him inside and the shot is weak and easy for Green.

19 mins - That was outstanding skill from Nolan. Unfortunately, it was also an outstanding save from the Doncaster No33.

18 mins - Oooh! Brilliant again from Nolan. Piquionne slides a ball through and Nolan tries to chip Woods from 25 yards. He looks to have got it inch-perfect, only for Woods to get a fingertip to the ball and divert it on to the crossbar. Doncaster get the ball clear.

17 mins - Tomkins looks so composed in possession. Every time he gets the ball at his feet he looks to bring it forward and use it by passing to feet.

16 mins - More good news! England have won the Third Test match against India at Edgbaston by an innings and 242 runs and are now officially the world's best team. Good work.

14 mins - Reid does well to hold off Chris Brown. Referee Mathieson gives a foul against the Doncaster striker. Good defending by the No2.

13 mins - West Ham are working really hard to pen Doncaster inside their own half. So far, Rovers are keeping possession well, but one loose pass could cost them dear.

11 mins - Doncaster have another corner courtesy of Reid's header. He was stretching and had to deal with a long ball. The corner is cleared to Oster, whose shot is charged down by Piquionne.

10 mins - Robert Green is getting some acclaim from the fans behind his goal. The goalkeeper responds by applauding the fans.

8 mins - Ilunga slides a neat pass in for Nolan who crosses deep. It's too high for Collison, but Friend can only head behind for a corner. Collison takes it quick, but the ball is volleyed clear.

7 mins - The second corner from Dumbuya is far too strong and bounces out for a throw on the far side.

6 mins - Doncaster come back immediately. Nolan commits a foul but the referee waves play-on. The cross comes in and O'Brien helps it behind. The corner comes over and Tomkins and O'Brien scramble it behind for another corner.

5 mins - GOAL! What a goal! Tomkins brings the ball out from the back and finds Collison. He drops his shoulder, beats a man and clips an inch-perfect ball over the Doncaster defence for Nolan, who stabs in the volley from no more than eight yards. The ball billows into the roof of the net and the away supporters explode into a barrage of noise.

4 mins - Doncaster put together their first passing move of the day as Spurr gets forward down the left, but O'Brien makes a fine challenge and Nolan brings the ball clear.

2 mins - Neil McDonald is already out on the edge of his technical area urging his players forward. West Ham need to start fast here. They nearly do as Taylor gets in behind his full-back. He pokes the ball towards Collison, but the Welshman is offside.

1 min - West Ham threaten first, forcing goalkeeper Woods into a short clearance. Piquionne tries to lob the ball over for Collison to chase, but Friend ushers it back to Woods.

3pm - The two captains are tossing the coin in the centre circle and... Doncaster will kick-off! There might not be 50,000 here, but the atmosphere is jumping!

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2.58pm - Here they come...

2.55pm - I don't know about, but I'm full of nervous excitement ahead of today's game! This is a real chance for West Ham to pick up their first away victory since winning at Blackpool in February. The sprinklers are on and the PA announcer has read out the two teams. It won't be long until we welcome the two teams on to the pitch...

2.50pm - The Hammers have jogged back to their dressing room, while Doncaster are going through some last-minute shuttle runs. The Keepmoat Stadium is far from full, which is a shame. It is a very tidy, modern ground and the facilities are top-class.

2.35pm - Twenty-five minutes until kick-off and both squads are out on the pitch for their pre-match warm-ups. West Ham have got a very strong side on paper today and will be going for the three points that will get the season well and truly up and running.

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2.20pm - I should also mention that Pablo Barrera only arrived back from international duty with Mexico on Friday and was therefore not considered for selection today. West Ham, of course, travel to Watford on Tuesday evening and he could well be involved at Vicarage Road.

2.15pm - So, just the one change to the starting lineup for the Hammers. Doncaster, meanwhile, are in the midst of an early-season injury crisis which has robbed manager Sean O'Driscoll of star striker Billy Sharp and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Ryan Mason. It remains to be seen whether Rovers can deal with the loss of two key attackers. For West Ham, Julien Faubert is not yet ready to return from a hamstring injury suffered against Real Zaragoza a fortnight ago, while John Carew and George McCartney are not yet being considered for selection.

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2.05pm - Sam Allardyce makes one change from the team that started last Sunday's 1-0 defeat by Cardiff City, bringing Jack Collison in for Freddie Sears.

West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Ilunga (Stanislas 86), Nolan, Parker, Noble, Collison (Sears 72), Taylor, Piquionne (Cole 63)
Subs not used: Boffin, Faye

Doncaster Rovers: Woods, Spurr, Oster, Friend, Bennett (Baxendale 76), Brown, Coppinger, Gillett (Hird 83), Naylor, Dumbuya, Barnes (Keegan 76)
Subs not used: Sullivan, Radford

2pm - Mr Gold is down at the away end meeting the visiting fans. There are more than 3,200 away supporters here today, which is quite a large proportion of the total crowd. The atmosphere should certainly be good. Team news should be in shortly...

1.35pm - Manager Sam Allardyce and his players have arrived safe and well at the Keepmoat, happily signing autographs and posing for pictures on their way into the ground.

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1.15pm - The kit has been laid out and it is just a question of waiting for the players to arrive at the Keepmoat Stadium. Chairman David Gold has been into the Away Dresssing Room to talk to kit manager Pete Williams and members of the backroom staff before the team arrive at approximately 1.30pm. The stage is set for what we all hope will be a successful afternoon in Yorkshire.

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Good afternoon and welcome to the Keepmoat Stadium for this afternoon's first away npower Championship fixture of the 2011/12 season.

West Ham United will be eager to bounce back to winning ways after losing 1-0 to Cardiff City at the Boleyn Ground six days ago. Doncaster will also be keen to register their first league points of the season after going down 2-1 at newly-promoted Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.

Sean O'Driscoll's side did defeat Tranmere Rovers 3-0 in the Carling Cup first round in mid-week, while of course West Ham's home tie against Aldershot Town was postponed due to civil unrest in London. To purchase tickets to the re-arranged tie on Wednesday 24 August, click here.

We have no such trouble here in South Yorkshire on what is West Ham's first visit to Doncaster since 1 March 1958, when the Hammers won 2-1 on their way to winning the Division Two title.

Team news-wise, West Ham are definitely without Gary O'Neil (ankle), while recent arrivals John Carew and George McCartney are not yet considered fit enough for selection. Julien Faubert (hamstring) missed the Cardiff defeat but could return today.

For Doncaster, strikers Billy Sharp (ankle) and James Hayter (knee) could both miss out, while the home side have a host of other injury concerns.

The teams and substitutes should be confirmed at around 2pm, with the news announced first on whufc.com and on the club's official twitter feed here.