WEST HAM UNITED DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v BRENTFORD XI
WEST HAM UNITED ACADEMY, LITTLE HEATH
TUESDAY 30 AUGUST 2011
KICK-OFF: 1PM
Final score - West Ham United Development Squad 3-1 Brentford XI
91 mins - That's that. West Ham have recorded another win. Whatever level it is at, victories breed confidence. Hall with two goals and Sears with one to complete a decent afternoon's work for Ian Hendon and his players. Don't forget, exclusive highlights and reaction will appear on West Ham TV soon.
90 mins - West Ham are playing some lovely stuff in the closing stages, with everybody involved as they knock the ball around the tiring Brentford players. The latest move ends with Lee rolling his marker Rodney and shooting powerfully. Unfortunately, it's straight at Middleton, who collects at the second attempt.
87 mins - Lyska has a go from outside the penalty area, but Cowler is there to make a good sharp save diving low to his right. He holds on and the danger is gone.
86 mins - A cross from the Bees right is headed half-clear by Wearen. It falls to Adams 25 yards out, but his half-volley is well over the top.
85 mins - Brentford bring on Rodney and Ward for Yamfam and Pierre.
84 mins - Another player who has impressed today is Eoin Wearen. He was a midfielder, but it now seems that the club see his future at centre-back. He has the physique for the position - he is tall and good in the air.
83 mins - Lee looks so confident at the moment, as you might expect after three consecutive U18 hat-tricks. He wants the ball all the time and is quick to take on his man. This time, he collects a pass 25 yards out, turns and fires over the top.
81 mins - Adams needs the physio on as he goes down under a sliding challenge from McNaughton.
80 mins - Super play there from Driver and Turgott. The midfielder lays the ball off before racing on to Driver's clever pass down the right channel. He delivers a fantastic first-time cross that is just in front of Lee's dive.
79 mins - Adams comes back on for Kamau.
78 mins - That's quality. Driver starts a move before rampaging down the right to collect Moncur's return pass. He beats a man and finds Lee, whose instant shot is turned aside by Middleton. Good flowing move. Good save.
77 mins - Don't forget that exclusive highlights and reaction from today's game will appear on West Ham TV.
75 mins - Jordan Brown comes back on in Hall's place. He'll play wide on the left of midfield.
74 mins - Scott is smashed on the edge of the box, but he doesn't go down. It's a free-kick, but Hall isn't there to take it. Moncur shoots low and Middleton saves.
73 mins - Hall has come off for a closer examination of his head. He might have taken a bang in the face there. Unless David Wootton is coming on as an outfield player, West Ham will have to play out the remainder of the game with ten men.
70 mins - Hall comes forward again but is challenged and needs the physio on. Before the break in play, Lee picked up possession but his shot was easy for Middleton to collect.
70 mins - West Ham can add some gloss to this by scoring a couple more goals. The young players who have come on look hungry.
68 mins - GOAL! Hall takes it himself and some. He steps up and curls an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Great finish.
67 mins - Hall is brought down outside the box and wants to take the free-kick himself...
65 mins - Brown, Faye, Nouble, Sears and Diop are replaced by Potts, McNaughton, Turgott, Lee and trialist Olumide Scott.
64 mins - Strong running from Diop who gets past Griffiths and runs at Mawson. His cross towards Sears is blocked behind by the No6. Hall takes the corner and Nouble heads wide.
62 mins - I wonder if we might see some changes soon from Hendon. The goal-scoring chances have dried up at both ends in recent times.
59 mins - West Ham win another corner and Hall again delivers quality, but Nouble can only head over the top under pressure from a defender.
54 mins - Lyska and Bellamy are also on for the Bees, with Rogic and Lindsey the men replaced.
53 mins - Great stuff from Nouble. He shows pace, strength and skill to get past Ekum before pulling back for Moncur. His shot is on target, but hits Middleton on the leg and spins over. Hall's corner picks out the unmarked Faye, but his stooping header flies wide.
51 mins - Brentford have made a change at half-time, but I didn't see it being made. Sam Beal is on Adams.
50 mins - Yamfam chases a hopeful long ball, Cowler hesitates and Faye has to be alert to stab the ball behind. The corner is way too deep and West Ham clear.
49 mins - GOAL! A poor clearance from goalkeeper Middleton drops to Moncur. He comes forward and draws a defender before passing to Sears. The No10 is deadly from that range as he slams a low shot past the goalkeeper from 16 yards. Good finish.
47 mins - Driver wins the ball back and Moncur releases Nouble. He's changed his boots, has the No9. However, his shot is deflected behind. Hall's corner is superb, but Wearen's header glances wide of the far post.
46 mins - The Bees get the second half underway. No changes from Hendon or his opposite number at the break.
Half-time score - West Ham United Development Squad 1-1 Brentford XI
46 mins - Just a few seconds into added time, the half-time whistle is blown.
43 mins - Wearen is caught out just outside the West Ham box and Brentford nearly benefit. Yamfam beats Faye with a superb bit of skill, but Driver is alert and stabs the ball out for a corner. It's taken short and wasted by the Bees.
41 mins - Hall and Sears combine down the left before Brown hits the byline. His cross hits Griffiths on the back and goes out for another corner. Hall sends over a dangerous ball and Diop rises, only to head over the top again. He's frustrated to miss the target there.
40 mins - The corner is headed behind by a defender. Hall trots across to take the second flag-kick. It is cleared.
39 mins - Wearen does well to win the ball back and release Nouble with a long ball. Hendon encourages the striker to take on Pierre. He does, but the defender gets a foot in. Corner.
38 mins - Hall misses a sitter. Sears wins the ball back and finds Moncur. His cross is behind Diop and Nouble but falls into the path of Hall. He's unmarked 12 yards out on his stronger left foot, but his shot is high and over the top. He normally gobbles those up.
37 mins - Brown launches a diagonal for Hall, who controls well. He plays in the over-lapping Abdulla, who wins a corner. Hall's corner is low and headed clear to Moncur, whose first-time effort flies well over.
36 mins - Cowler launches a long clearance from his hands and Nouble wins the flick-on. It's on target, but an easy collect for Middleton. That Bees goal came out of nowhere, to be honest.
33 mins - GOAL! Hmmm... Brentford are on terms almost straight away. A neat one-touch move involving Oyeleke and Adams is finished by Yamfam from 16 yards. Cowler got a hand to the ball but couldn't keep it out.
31 mins - GOAL! How often does Robert Hall score goals like that?! He cuts in from the right side of the penalty area, opens up his body and curls an inch-perfect shot past Middleton and in off the far post. Great strike.
30 mins - Diop finds Brown, whose first touch takes him past Adams. He gets to about 30 yards from goal and crosses, but unfortunately it's a high one and Middleton collects.
28 mins - Driver wins a corner. Hall crosses and Brentford clear the box, only for Driver to win the ball back on halfway. He finds Hall, who gets the ball into Nouble. He turns and shoots from ten yards, but his effort clears the bar by some distance.
27 mins - So close to a goal for Diop. Hall shows great close control inside the box before sliding the ball left for Diop. The midfielder stabs a shot goalwards and Middleton dives to his right to parry. The Bees get to the rebound first and clear.
26 mins - Faye gets a foot in to intercept a Brentford cross and finds Moncur. He leads the counter by getting to halfway and feeding Nouble. The big man runs forward and crosses dangerously across the six-yard box, but Sears can't get to it.
25 mins - Hall's free-kick hits the wall. The ball comes back to him, but his follow-up shot is charged down.
24 mins - Abdulla does well again. He's snapped around the Brentford players all game long. Nouble picks up possession and is fouled 25 yards out. Hall fancies this one...
22 mins - Brentford attack for the first time in a while. Griffiths plays the ball to Yamfam, who cuts a cross into the path of Rogic. The big No8 controls on his chest before his shot is charged down by Faye.
20 mins - Argh! Moncur plays in Hall, and he's clear. However, Nouble shapes to run on to the pass from an offside position and the flag goes up.
19 mins - Faye retrieves Hall's deep corner and finds Sears. He crosses and Diop rises and heads powerfully, but the ball loops high and into the net behind the goal. West Ham's football has been incisive in the last ten minutes.
18 mins - Diop shows great strength again before feeding Sears. He beats one man and gets into the box, but Pierre gets back to block his shot behind for a corner. Good play again. Surely it's only a matter of time before the Hammers go ahead here...
16 mins - Great football again as West Ham sweep from right to left and Brown is away from Abdulla's first-time pass. He cuts inside his full-back and finds Sears. The striker has support, but chooses to shoot. His effort flies wide.
14 mins - The Hammers are on top now as Hall collects a fine pass from Wearen wide on the right. He runs forward and inside before unleashing a powerful shot with his left foot that flashes past the angle.
13 mins - Diop does well to win the ball in midfield before Moncur releases Sears. He runs at Griffiths before finding Moncur, but he is closed down.
12 mins - West Ham break with numbers. Brown is up in support and sends in a superb cross that dips over the head of Pierre, but Nouble cannot control.
10 mins - The Bees look more likely at the moment as a ball skips off Diop's toe to Oyeleke. He turns, makes ten yards and shoots. Cowler dives to his right to push the ball around the post. The corner is headed clear.
9 mins - Brentford are a bit unlucky there as Oyeleke is caught offside from Mawson's diagonal pass. There cannot have been much in that. Moments later, Adams cuts inside from the right wing and curls a superb left-foot shot that misses the target by a yard. Close.
6 mins - Abdulla does well again, winning the ball back before Sears cuts inside from the left and tests Middleton with a low shot. The goalkeeper holds on well.
5 mins - Nice football from Abdulla and Brown before Sears gets in behind. He crosses and the ball flicks off a defender and behind. Hall's corner causes some panic in the Brentford penalty area as Wearen challenges, but the visitors scramble the ball clear.
3 mins - A first shot from Yamfam, who turns smartly on the edge of the D, but drags his effort low and wide of the post. Cowler watches it harmlessly roll out for a goal kick.
2 mins - As expected, Faye and Wearen are in the centre of defence, with Diop in central midfield.
1 min - Nouble and Abdulla get us underway. West Ham enjoy some early possession before Nouble wins a throw inside the Brentford half.
1.11pm - Faye is here and we're about to kick-off...
1.09pm - We're just waiting for Faye to join us and we can get underway. Brentford are wearing a fetching yellow and black kit. Fittingly, they look like Bees.
1.07pm - Here come the Hammers, as MC Hammer might have sung once way back when. Diop is wearing the No11 shirt. He looks lean and fit. It'll be interesting to see what he can do. I expect him to play in a three-man midfield alongside Abdulla and Moncur, with Sears and Hall playing either side of central striker Nouble.
1.05pm - There are a few familiar faces here to watch the game, including former Hammer Pat Holland and ex-Newcastle United defender and Grays Athletic and Gillingham manager Mark Stimson.
12.45pm - I can cofirm that kick-off has been delayed for ten minutes, so we'll get underway at 1.10pm. Meanwhile, the teams have been confirmed:
West Ham United: Cowler, Driver, Brown, Faye, Wearen, Moncur, Abdulla, Diop, Hall, Nouble, Sears
Subs: Wootton, McNaughton, Scott, Potts, Turgott, E.Lee
Brentford: Middleton, Griffiths, Kamau, Ekim, Pierre, Mawson, Adams, Rogic, Oyeleke, Yamfam, Lindsey
Subs: Lyska, Warren, Rodney, Beal, Ward, Bellamy
Good afternoon and welcome to Little Heath for this afternoon's fixture between West Ham United's Development Squad and a Brentford XI.
Ian Hendon has a blend of youth and experience at his disposal, with Senegal internationals Abdoulaye Faye (pictured) and Papa Bouba Diop - who is on trial at the club - joining Freddie Sears and Frank Nouble in the squad.
Left-back Jordan Brown makes his return from a leg injury suffered at Dagenham & Redbridge in pre-season, while Republic of Ireland U19 midfielder Eoin Wearen and England U18 internationals George Moncur and Robert Hall are also involved.
Callum McNaughton has a chance to bounce back following his Carling Cup red card against Aldershot Town, while Ahmed Abdulla, Callum Driver and Danny Potts could all be given opportunities to shine.
whufc.com will have live text updates from 1pm with highlights and post-match reaction to follow on West Ham TV.
West Ham United: Cowler, Driver, Brown (Potts 65), Faye (McNaughton 65), Wearen, Moncur, Abdulla, Diop (Scott 65), Hall (Brown 75), Nouble (Turgott 65), Sears (E.Lee 65)
Sub not used: Wootton
Brentford: Middleton, Griffiths, Kamau (Adams 79), Ekim, Pierre (Ward 85), Mawson, Adams (Beal 46), Rogic (Lyska 46), Oyeleke, Yamfam (Rodney 85), Lindsey (Bellamy 46)
Sub not used: Warren