BISHOP'S STORTFORD v WEST HAM UNITED XI
PRE-SEASON MATCH
SATURDAY 16 JULY 2011
KICK-OFF: 3PM
Final score - Bishop's Stortford 0-3 West Ham United XI
92 mins - Referee Hodges blows his whistle and that is that. That was a good workout for West Ham, who return to action on Wednesday evening in Denmark, where they take on FC Copenhagen. Back on these shores, the Hammers travel to Wycombe Wanderers a week today and Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday 26 July. Don't forget, both whufc.com and West Ham TV will have exclusive highlights and post-match reaction from Woodside Park.
90 mins - Into added-time and West Ham come close again. Sanchez's cross is headed back across goal by Montano and the Spaniard follows in and smashes a shot that hits a defender and goes behind. The corner is too strong and I would think that time is nearly up.
89 mins - The sun is shining brightly here at Woodside Park and West Ham have also shone this afternoon. The home side have worked hard and made West Ham work hard for their victory. For the Hammers, it is a real positive to see Parker, Noble and Collison back in action. Montano has also caught the eye with his play.
87 mins - Today's attendance is announced as 810.
86 mins - Stortford have battled gamely and come close again as the ball drops to Prestedge, but his shot is too close to Stech, who collects.
84 mins - So close to 4-0 and a deserved goal for Montano. Collison wins the ball on the edge of the box and slides it inside for Montano, but his well-struck shot is beaten away by Wright. It drops to McCallum, whose volley hits a defender and goes out for a corner. The corner is delivered to the near post and nothing comes from it.
82 mins - GOAL! Stortford have a free-kick that Stech punches clear to Parker. Montano does well to slide a superb ball to Collison on halfway. The No15 races clear of the defence before dancing around the goalkeeper and slotting into the unguarded net with his left foot.
81 mins - Fry is beaten to the ball and it is worked to Francis. He takes a touch and shoots low across Stech. The big goalkeeper throws out his right hand and pushes the ball away.
78 mins - Montano puts in a superb cross from the left but it's too strong for McCallum. A Stortford player needs the physio on and during the break in play, Hall comes on for Lletget.
76 mins - The three midfielders have shifted positions. Noble is the one sitting now.
75 mins - Robert Hall is going to come on the for the final few minutes. It will be the forward's third appearance in six days. He did very well on the pre-season tour in Switzerland, particularly catching the eye in Monday's game against BSC Young Boys.
74 mins - Lettejallow meets the corner with a firm header, but he directs the ball straight into the turf. It bounces up and over the crossbar.
73 mins - A chance for Stortford to deliver the ball into the box as Driver brings down Salah. The free-kick is cleared, but the hosts keep up the pressure and win a corner. Good spirit from Ian Walker's men.
70 mins - Good play again from Montano, who beats a man and loses his footing. He gets up quickly and then finds Lletget. The American feeds the ball back to Montano, who goes past a defender before shooting low into the side-netting at the near post.
68 mins - Neat feet from Montano and Noble inside the box. Noble tries to pick out Collison, but a defender gets a toe in and Stortford clear. One of the 'No number' players beats McNaughton with decent pace and finds a team-mate, but he delays too long and Parker gets in a strong and well-timed tackle.
67 mins - Bishop's Stortford are pretty much watching West Ham pass the ball around. It's not as if they are playing poorly - they just can't get the ball from a West Ham team that has three top-class midfielders running the show.
64 mins - Montano is on fire! He beats two men again and slips the ball in for Lletget. He takes a touch and shoots from 18 yards, but the ball goes a yard or two wide of the far post.
63 mins - Montano is an elusive runner with more pace than he is perhaps given credit for. He slips past one defender and then a second before being hauled to the ground. Superb play. Driver is at left-back, Sanchez at right-back and Fry has gone in alongside McNaughton. McCallum is up front.
62 mins - Brown, Spence, Reid and Nouble are the quartet replaced. Parker has the captain's armband on.
61 mins - Collison does well in midfield, collecting a pass from Noble and trying to feed a through ball to Nouble. It's just too strong and goalkeeper Wright dives out to claim.
59 mins - Fitness coach Swift whistles loudly to the substitutes to come back to the bench. We'll see Sanchez, Fry, McCallum and Driver soon.
55 mins - Brown and Montano combine to clear from deep inside the West Ham half. Montano romps down the left wing, but Collison's sweeping pass is too high and too strong and flies out for a throw. The Wales international raises his hand in apology.
54 mins - Noble and Parker are painting pretty patterns in the centre of midfield, popping passes around with speed and accuracy. The sun has come out again, but for how long?
52 mins - Noble shows his class with a delightful pass inside right-back Lettejallow for Brown. He crosses and Nouble gets there first, but cannot direct his effort on target under pressure from Phillip.
51 mins - Collison and Noble work the corner short but the latter's delivery to the near post is volleyed clear. It looks like the game will follow a similar pattern, with the Hammers well on top.
50 mins - Nouble chests down for Montano on halfway and the winger runs 50 yards before a defender slides in and knocks the ball over the fence behind the goal. Another corner.
49 mins - Lletget picks out the run of Spence with a neat pass. The overlapping full-back slides a cross inside towards Nouble, but a defender cuts it out. Corner. Montano's delivery is high and goalkeeper Wright comes out and punches clear.
48 mins - Stortford's new team has three players in it with no numbers on their backs. Interesting.
46 mins - We're off and running again. West Ham's formation is unchanged, with Parker in front of the back four and Noble and Collison in central midfield.
Parker is wearing the No12 shirt, Collison the No15 and Noble the No16. Moncur, Lee and Abdulla have gone off. Kick-off is delayed slightly while Collison puts on a GPS vest. Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce is signing autographs for some young fans.
Half-time score - Bishop's Stortford 0-2 West Ham United XI
Bishop's Stortford's second-half team will be Wright, Lettejallow, Anderson, Hahn, Olafunmishe, Boueno, Thomson, Prestedge, Francis, McKenzie and Salah. No news yet on any changes for the Hammers, but Parker, Collison and Noble are all out warming-up on the pitch, along with the other substitutes.
46 mins - The half-time whistle is blown. That was, for the most part, a comfortable 45 minutes for the Hammers. Stortford are going to field a completely new XI after the break.
45 mins - Downes is telling his players to 'Keep the ball inside Stortford's half'. They do just that as a diagonal pass drops to Montano 25 yards out. He takes a touch and slams a low shot across Eyre and wide of the far post. Good effort.
44 mins - West Ham's players are working hard when Stortford have the ball, which is encouraging. If they work as hard as their opponents, then the Hammers' greater quality will shine through and more chances will be created.
42 mins - Lletget spreads play wide right for Spence, who controls well. He cuts inside and tries to pick out Nouble, but the ball clips Moncur and runs away from the striker. Unlucky, that. West Ham appear to have weathered the Stortford storm.
41 mins - Brown crosses from the left and a clearing header drops to Lee, but he can't control and Habu clears. Collison joins Parker on the touchline. I wonder if both will be on at half-time?
40 mins - Parker emerges for a warm-up run along the touchline. The Hammer of the Year receives some applause from the stands.
38 mins - Calver has come alive, collecting a pass from Tyriaki before beating Spence. After a couple of tricks, Reid pokes the ball behind. Dadson's corner flashes across the six-yard box and out for a goal kick. Downes shouts at his players to up their game.
37 mins - The hosts are having a little spell here as Calver's cross is headed behind by McNaughton. Again, West Ham fail to clear their lines and Dadson loses Moncur before shooting at the near post, but Stech is there to make an easy catch.
35 mins - A first chance for Stortford as Reid concedes free-kick 25 yards from goal. Tyriaki takes it and the ball takes a nick off Brown and goes behind. Brown wins the header from the corner and then blocks a cross. Stortford stay on the offensive as McNaughton and Nouble fail to properly clear their lines, but when Calver tries a trick, he loses control and the ball goes behind for a goal kick.
34 mins - Lletget robs Braithwaite down the left touchline and finds Moncur. He skips past a challenge and gets to the edge of the box on the right-hand side, but his slide-rule pass inside for Nouble is wayward and Nouble collects.
30 mins - The supporters are running for cover to escape the deluge from the skies! On the pitch, West Ham are in total control of proceedings. Stech has been a virtual spectator for the opening half-hour.
28 mins - I spoke too soon, there. Stanislas is replaced by Montano. The Colombia-born player heads over to the left wing. The rain is absolutely chucking it down, drumming on the roof of the stand.
27 mins - Stanislas again. He shoots from the angle but this time it's too high. The winger has looked really sharp in pre-season. He also looks to have a real hunger to make his mark next term.
26 mins - Patient build-up play from the Hammers involving Lletget, Lee and Stanislas before Moncur shoots low from 25 yards. He drags it wide of the left-hand post,
23 mins - Abdulla spreads play wide to the right for Spence. He plays in Moncur, who tries to pick out the run of Nouble. The big striker is offside, though. If he can time those runs, he certainly has the pace to get away from his marker.
21 mins - Manager Allardyce is sitting two rows in front of me in the main stand here and I'm sure he's been impressed with what he has seen so far. Saying that, Stortford are coming into things a little more.
18 mins - It's belting it down again here. In fact, one might even say it's raining goals! If West Ham can maintain their level, this could be very convincing. Lee crosses from the left and Nouble jumps and glances his header wide. Lletget was behind Nouble and may have been better placed, but we shall never know.
17 mins - GOAL! Spence lays the ball inside the full-back again and Nouble shows his power to hold off Abdullahi. He shoots low and the ball beats Eyre and cannons back off the base of the far post. Lee follows up and side-foots home from eight yards.
16 mins - Stortford are having real trouble maintaining any sort of possession.
13 mins - The goal was coming and was no more than West Ham deserve. To be honest, they're completely dominating the game. Cole is penalised for handball and Stanislas has another chance to deliver. This time, he collects the ball short and shoots from 25 yards. It dips just over the top.
11 mins - GOAL! Stanislas takes the free-kick square to Abdulla, who immediately lays it back to the No9. He looks up and crosses into the danger zone. McNaughton slides but makes no contact, but his effort wrong-foots Eyre and the ball bounces high into the top right-hand corner. Stanislas takes the plaudits, but I'm not sure he meant it! Two goals in two games for the winger.
10 mins - Jordan Brown is brought down near the left touchline midway inside the Stortford half. Stanislas to take...
8 mins - That's another chance for the Hammers. Spence threads a neat ball inside the full-back for Nouble. He looks to be in on goal, but instead crosses for Moncur. The midfielder's touch is a bit loose and his lay-off for Stanislas is cut out. Shame.
6 mins - The ball is worked, via a deflection, to Spence on the right wing, Downes urges him to 'Get at 'em', so he does before crossing towards the far post. Lee slides in, but cannot get sufficient power on the ball to divert it past Eyre.
4 mins - It looks to me that West Ham are playing in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Spence, Reid, McNaughton and Brown are across the back, with Abdulla in front of the back four. Lletget, Moncur, Lee and Stanislas are across the midfield, with Nouble up front.
3 mins - It's all West Ham in the early going but they've not forged an opening yet. Lee finds Moncur through the middle, but he over-hits his pass to Nouble and the ball rolls out for a throw.
2 mins - Abdulla looks lively in the early going as he wins the ball from left-back Braithwaite. Lletget is involved before Spence crosses high towards Nouble, but the striker is offside.
1 min - Spence gets forward well down the right and receives a pass from Abdulla, but his cross is short and easily cut out.
3.01pm - We're off and running...
2.58pm - West Ham United are led out by captain Winston Reid. Bishop's Stortford are being captained by Mo Habu. The two teams shake hands and break away into their respective halves. Reid hands a commemorative pennant to Ian Walker and we're nearly ready to go. Referee Rob Hodges calls the two captains together and the home side will kick-off, shooting towards the Stansted Airport end of the stadium.
2.55pm - The two teams have headed back to their respective dressing rooms ahead of kick-off.
2.50pm - Bishop's Stortford are managed by Ian Walker, who is still sporting his famous 'curtains' haircut. He is also wearing a very distinctive light grey suit.
2.45pm - There are so many players on the pitch warming up that you would think we've had a pitch invasion! Seriously, though, this fixture represents a big opportunity for the club's young players to shine in front of manager Sam Allardyce. Particularly those who didn't travel with the squad to Switzerland will be keen to turn it on. However, the home side will also be desperate to impress and gain themselves a big scalp. I reckon we're in for a competitive game.
2.40pm - The rain has stopped, thankfully. The sun did pop its head through the clouds for a short while but it has now disappeared again. Saying that, I reckon we could be set fair for a dry 90 minutes.
2.35pm - You've got to hand it to Bishop's Stortford. With things getting ever more difficult for non-league clubs financially, they have arranged a pre-season meeting with Gabala FC - the Azerbaijan Premier League side managed by former Arsenal and England manager Tony Adams. On 26 August, Woodside Park will also play host to England's Under-17s for a friendly match against Czech Republic.
2.22pm - Bishop's Stortford are going to play two XIs, with each playing 45 minutes each - barring injury. The first half XI is Eyre, Jeffries, Braithwaite, Abdullahi, Habu, Jones, Cole, Hanchip, Calver, Tyriaki and Dadson.
2.20pm - West Ham United's starting XI and substitutes have been named. The big news is that Scott Parker, Mark Noble and Jack Collison are all on the bench and in line to make their first appearances of the pre-season. The starting XI in full is Stech, Spence, Reid, McNaughton, Brown, Abdulla, Moncur, Lee, Stanislas, Nouble and Lletget. The substitutes are Larkins, Parker, Noble, Collison, Hall, Driver, Fry, McCallum, Sanchez and Montano.
1.50pm - A West Ham United XI also visited Bishop's Stortford on 29 July 2010, when the Hammers ran out 4-0 winners. Freddie Sears scored all four goals in a comprehensive victory.
1.40pm - It's rain, rain, rain all the way here at Bishop's Stortford as new development coach Ian Hendon and fitness coach Eamon Swift emerge from the tunnel to prepare the pitch for the Hammers' pre-match warm-up. The official website and West Ham TV will have an exclusive first interview with Hendon soon.
Good afternoon and welcome to the familiar surroundings of Woodside Park for this afternoon's pre-season match between Bishop's Stortford and a West Ham United XI. It is wet and, to be honest, the weather is downright horrible here on the Essex/Hertfordshire border.
First-team coach Wally Downes is in charge of the Hammers this afternoon, but manager Sam Allardyce is also in attendance to watch a young side take on the Blue Square North newcomers.
Mark Noble, Jack Collison and Scott Parker are all included in a matchday squad for the first time in pre-season, having travelled with the squad to their six-day training camp in Switzerland.
Of the other players who travelled to Switzerland, Marek Stech, Winston Reid, Jordan Spence, Jordan Brown, George Moncur, Olly Lee, Junior Stanislas, Frank Nouble and Robert Hall have all been named in today's squad.
Alongside them, young professionals Callum Driver, Callum McNaughton, Matt Fry, Sebastian Lletget and Ahmed Abdulla will all be eager to make their mark in front of Allardyce.
Bishop's Stortford, who are managed by former Tottenham Hotspur and England goalkeeper Ian Walker, have been moved into the Blue Square North this season following the expulsion of Rushden & Diamonds.
Woodside Park, of course, has played host to West Ham's reserve team regularly in recent seasons. Defender McNaughton will feel especially at home, having been born in the town and spent a period on loan with Bishop's Stortford last season.
Team news is expected to be announced at shortly after 2pm.