DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE v WEST HAM UNITED
PRE-SEASON MATCH
TUESDAY 26 JULY 2011
KICK-OFF: 8PM
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Final score - Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 West Ham United
Plenty of positives for Sam Allardyce tonight - Taylor was good on his debut, Cole got a goal, Green looked in good form and the youngsters withstood the Daggers' late charge. That's three clean sheets on the trot now, too. So, with one first-team friendly to come against Spanish side Real Zaragoza on Saturday, there are reasons for optimism ahead of the season opener against Cardiff City on Sunday 7 August. Before then, why not tune into West Ham TV for exclusive highlights and post-match reaction from tonight's victory?
91 mins - Abdulla fouls Green this time. Green wins a corner off Lletget, but before it can be taken, referee Mr Woolmer blows for full-time.
90 mins - Not long to go as McNaughton heads clear. Abdulla puts in a superb tackle on Green and Lletget does well to beat one man and keep possession. Surely there's not too long to go now.
90 mins - Montano is fouled and West Ham take the free-kick quickly. Hines picks up possession and shoots powerfully. Shea gathers at the second attempt.
88 mins - Elito takes on Driver and crosses low, but Green is there again to collect by his near post. Dagenham are finishing strongly here.
87 mins - Dagenham have a late opportunity courtesy of a free-kick by the right corner flag. Woodall takes, but his ball in is too high and flies out for a goal kick. Wally Downes tells his midfielders to concentrate. He doesn't want West Ham to throw this lead away now.
84 mins - I should point out that Abdulla's handbags were with Dagenham's Danny Green and not his own goalkeeper! West Ham's Green does well again, claiming Howell's high free-kick.
83 mins - Green hasn't had much to do, but he's kept his concentration and makes a fantastic one-handed save from Woodall. That was travelling and the England goalkeeper did well to push the ball away. Abdulla completes the clearance before getting embroiled in some handbags with Green.
82 mins - Moncur does well inside his own half to find Hall. He spins and sends Hines away, but the big defender Swaibi is there to block.
81 mins - West Ham win another corner. Montano crosses and the ball loops behind on the other side. Corner again. Hall takes left-footed and Shea collects well in front of his face.
79 mins - More changes... Spence is replaced by Ahmed Abdulla. Dagenham bring on Reed for Williams.
77 mins - That's encouraging as Hall shows good strength before finding Montano. He beats one man before finding Lee inside. The midfielder takes a couple of neat touches before trying to find the Colombian, The pass is cut out.
74 mins - Lopez is replaced by Robert Hall for the closing stages. West Ham put together a fluid move as Driver sends Montano away. He beats one and crosses low towards Hines, but the striker's shot spins just wide of the post.
73 mins - Driver is into the action straight away. He loses the ball to Elito, who looks to have space to fashion a shot, but the left-back gets back well and toes the ball away from the midfielder. West Ham break and Montano wins a free-kick. The ball drops inside the penalty area to Hines, but his volley is into the ground and bounces wide of the post.
70 mins - The two Callums, Driver and McNaughton, are on for Brown and Reid for the final 20 minutes.
69 mins - Hines himself takes the free-kick and the ball deflects behind for a corner. The ball is headed out of the box, but Moncur is able to work it to Montano. He cuts inside and hits a powerful shot left-footed, but it's off-target.
67 mins - This is a very young West Ham team out there at the moment. No fewer than eight of them have come through the ranks. One of them, Hines, wins a free-kick a couple of yards outside the Dagenham penalty area.
66 mins - Montano has been superb in pre-season and he's at it again, racing down the left flank and winning a throw.
64 mins - Ooooh! So close for Elito, who shoots low from 25 yards. The ball cannons off the pole supporting the net and hits the back of the goal. Some of the fans think it has gone in, as has the journalist next to me. 'What a goal!' he exclaims... Goal kick.
62 mins - What a chance that is for Josh Scott! Tomlin's ball eludes Reid and the No10 is through on goal. He looks up and lets fly, but the ball zooms past the angle of post and crossbar. The pair are both immediately substituted, with Scott and Tomlin replaced by Woodall and Green. West Ham also make two changes, with Taylor and Sears replaced by Montano and Lletget.
61 mins - Lopez heads the corner clear at the near post. Dagenham regain possession, but Tomlin's chip is easy for Green to gather.
60 mins - Jordan Brown was down on the floor holding his leg, but before the physio could get to him, the left-back jumped to his feet. Lucky for West Ham that he did as he was in the right place to hack Howell's low cross out for a corner.
59 mins - Good stuff from Spence, who controls on his thigh and finds Hines. He flicks the ball wide right for Sears, who bursts down the touchline and hangs up a cross, but it's too close to Shea. Spence looks so composed on the ball.
56 mins - Cole heads straight to the dressing room and waves to the fans as he disappears down the tunnel. A left-wing cross comes over and Shea fumbles it behind. The corner is half-cleared to Moncur, whose shot is charged down. Dagenham break, but Elito's cross flies behind for a goal kick.
55 mins - Cole is replaced by Lopez. The trialist is tall and looks the part. Let's see what he has got in his locker.
53 mins - West Ham have started well here. Cole wins another header and Sears latches on to the loose ball. He finds Taylor, whose cross is cleared.
52 mins - Cole wins a flick-on from Green's long clearance and Sears sprints to get on the end of it. He does, but he slices his cross behind the goal.
49 mins - The attendance is bigger than the hosts had estimated - 4,016. Not a bad turn out at all. Meanwhile, Lee gets a low cross in but it's in front of Sears and the chance goes begging.
48 mins - Hines has gone up front to partner Cole. This is the England Under-21 striker's first appearance of the pre-season.
46 mins - Daggers get us back up and running for the second half. It'll be interesting to see how the game flows, as we're likely to have a few more changes before the game is out.
Four changes from the Hammers at the break. O'Brien, Noble, Collison and Nouble go off, with Sanchez, Moncur, Olly Lee and Hines on in their places. Dagenham have replaced goalkeeper Lewington with James Shea and Williams with Mark Arber.
Half-time score - Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 West Ham United
46 mins - Into added-time. We have literally a few seconds of it before Mr Woolmer blows his whistle and that's half-time. Not a bad 45 minutes from the Hammers, who lead through Cole's fine goal. Dagenham have played their part too and have come into things. It's all set up for a decent second half.
44 mins - Tomlin and Howell both shoot from distance, but Reid and Spence are there to make blocks on the edge of their own penalty area.
42 mins - It's nearly half-time now and I think West Ham will make a few changes at the break. Before then, Cole gives the ball away and Dagenham break. Ogogo finds Williams, but his lofted cross is well claimed by Green.
37 mins - Cole is in the mood here. Sears' first touch from Taylor's fine pass is not great, but Cole wins the ball back, looks up and shoots from all of 35 yards. The ball flies just wide of the target with Lewington at full-stretch.
35 mins - GOAL! Cole! Brown's diagonal pass drops over Cole's shoulder inside the penalty area. The angle looks to be against the striker but he takes a touch before slotting a shot past the goalkeeper with his right foot. That's a great finish from the England man.
33 mins - A clearance flies into the stand in front of me, ricochets off the roof and hits an unfortunate lady square on the head. She is OK to continue watching the game.
32 mins - Collison would probably be booked for that during the season itself. The midfielder tries to pick out Nouble, but McCrory cuts his pass out. The midfielder tries to make amends, but slips over and brings down the substitute. Referee Woolmer has a quiet word, but no more.
30 mins - O'Brien's long ball forces a corner. A chance for West Ham to get themselves back into things. Taylor crosses high and Scott Doe heads out for a throw on the near side. Taylor takes throw and Spence works the ball to O'Brien, whose header back into the six-yard box is too close to goalkeeper Lewington.
29 mins - That's nice from John Still's side. Ilesanmi, Elito and Tomlin are involved before the former crosses towards Josh Scott, but Green is there to punch powerfully clear.
27 mins - You've got to give the hosts credit. They're on top now as Reid brings down Howell inside the home half. Dagenham take it short, but McCrory's cross is high and hanging and an easy catch for Green.
26 mins - That's good play from Williams, who turns well against Spence and shoots powerfully with his right foot. Thankfully for the Hammers, it's straight at Green.
24 mins - That opportunity might have been spurned, but it's given Dagenham a real lift. Tomlin twice has a chance to make something happen inside the West Ham penalty area, but both times his pass goes astray. The second time, Green comes to collect and West Ham can build again.
21 mins - Brown is robbed by Williams wide on the Dagenham left. He crosses low into the box and picks out the unmarked Howell. The No17 is on his own 14 yards from goal, but chooses to shoot first-time. The ball flies miles over the top. That was the best chance of the game so far.
19 mins - Taylor takes the corner left-footed and Nouble gets his head to it under pressure from that man Ilesanmi. The striker's effort flies wide of the far post. Dagenham replace Bingham with Damien McCrory.
18 mins - Bingham had come back on and tried to continue, but he can't carry on. The midfielder walks off disconsolately. When play starts again, Reid's superb crossfield pass for Sears is hooked out for a corner by Ilesanmi. The corner is worked back to Noble, whose cross is headed behind for another corner.
16 mins - A pause in play as Dagenham midfielder Bingham has some treatment. It's a right leg injury. Some of West Ham's players take advantage of the break in play by having a drink on the touchline. It's been pretty much all West Ham so far, to be honest.
14 mins - Nouble loses possession inside the home penalty area, but runs back into his own half to recover the ball. Good work ethic from the big forward.
12 mins - West Ham win another corner. Sears' initial delivery is too high, but O'Brien recovers possession. Collison's first-time cross looks good, but it's just too high for Reid and bounces harmlessly away for a throw.
11 mins - A throw is controlled brilliantly by Cole on the turn. He hooks the ball into the path of Sears, but the No7 misses his kick from eight yards. That's a chance gone begging for the Hammers. Great play by Cole, though.
10 mins - Sears has been heavily involved so far. He takes a quick throw to O'Brien, whose cross lands at the feet of Taylor. He shows quick feet to lay the ball off to Collison, whose shot is blocked.
8 mins - It's been a lively enough start here in east London. The ground is nearly full and both sets of fans are making plenty of noise. It makes you realise just how much you've missed football over the past two months!
5 mins - The West Ham fans behind the goal to my left in the Marcus James Stand are enjoying themselves, but they are silenced as Ilesanmi beats Sears and crosses. Green is there to make the catch with the minimum of fuss.
4 mins - Sears wins a corner. Taylor wins the header with his first touch in a West Ham shirt and Lewington punches clear. West Ham keep up the pressure and Taylor and Nouble are involved before Collison's shot is deflected wide. Taylor takes the corner left-footed and Cole flashes a header across the face of goal and behind.
3 mins - Dagenham attack down their left through full-back Ilesanmi but Noble is there to head clear. A loose pass falls to Nouble, who makes some ground but over-hits his pass to Taylor.
1 mins - West Ham kick-off and keep the ball for a short while in midfield before Spence's crossfield pass flies into the stand.
7.56pm - We're underway...
7.55pm - West Ham captain Mark Noble meets Dagger, who apparently works in the club shop when he's not doing his day job.
7.52pm - Referee Andy Woolmer blows his whistle and calls the two sets of players together. It appears we might kick-off a little before 8pm. The Dagenham & Redbridge mascot is a large brown dog called Dagger. Well, actually it's a man dressed as a large brown dog called Dagger. Dagger joins the Dagenham & Redbridge team in shaking hands with the visiting XI. Dagger apparently hails from Barking and loves it when his team take the lead.
7.50pm - Fitness coach Eamon Swift gets the starting XI together to do some stretches as Sam Allardyce emerges from the tunnel dressed in a smart blue suit. He responds to the cheers with a clap. Swiftly following the manager is the Dagenham & Redbridge team.
7.45pm - Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold have taken their seats in the Main Stand. Meanwhile, West Ham's players have emerged from the tunnel early for a warm-up. They are wearing their change strip of all blue with claret hoops.
7.35pm - Delays in the roads surrounding the ground mean the kick-off has been delayed by 15 minutes to 8pm.
7.30pm - Tony Roberts, the long-serving Dagenham & Redbridge goalkeeper and all-round good egg is presented to the crowd. He is leaving to work with the goalkeepers at Arsenal. Roberts gets a good round from the crowd, who he thanks for the support they have given him over the past eleven years.
7.25pm - Carlton Cole gets a loud cheer after curling a delightful shot into the top corner. The big striker responds by clapping the fans, who give him an even bigger cheer!
7.20pm - The hosts tell me they are expecting a crowd of between 3,000 and 4,000 this evening, which is not half bad for a pre-season friendly. The stands and terraces are filling up fairly quickly around me. I'm told the Main Stand is completely sold out.
7pm - The team news is in. Matt Taylor makes his debut on the left of a four-man midfield. Alex Lopez is a Spanish trialist and is named among the substitutes.
Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Doe, Williams, Scott, Tomlin, Elito, Swaibi, Howell, Ogogo, Bingham, Ilesanmi
Subs: Shea, McCrory, Arber, Reed, Green, Gayle, Walsh, Osborn
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Spence, Reid, Brown, Sears, Collison, Noble, Taylor, Cole, Nouble
Subs: Cowler, Lopez, Sanchez, McNaughton, Driver, Lee, Moncur, Lletget, Hall, Abdulla, Montano, Hines
Good evening and welcome to Victoria Road for tonight's mouth-watering pre-season match between Dagenham & Redbridge and West Ham United.
The game, of course, pits local rivals against one another and a large crowd is expected to cheer both teams on.
Unfortunately, the two clubs come into the meeting having been relegated from their respective divisions last season - the Daggers from League One and the Hammers, of course, from the Premier League. So, both will be hoping for better fortune in 2011/12.
Sam Allardyce has named a squad mixing youth with experience for the fixture, with new signing Matt Taylor and England internationals Robert Green and Carlton Cole lining up alongside a host of promising young professionals.
The Hammers have kept clean sheets in each of their previous two pre-season matches, winning 1-0 at Danish champions FC Copenhagen six days ago before drawing 0-0 at League One new boys Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.
The Daggers themselves have contested four first-team friendly matches, defeating Boreham Wood and Mangotsfield United before drawing with Ebbsfleet United and Leyton Orient. Among John Still's squad are West Ham Academy graduates Darren Currie and Conor Okus.
Tickets are still available through the turnstiles ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off, so if you live close enough to get down to Victoria Road, then please come on down to lend your support to two fine east London clubs. Seats are priced at £15 Adults, £10 Concessions, £8 Juniors and £2 Under-7s, while terrace places are priced at £12 Adults, £8 Concessions, £5 Juniors and £1 Under-7s.
Team news should be available around an hour before kick-off and will be announced first here on whufc.com and on the club's official twitter feed.