Colchester 1-2 West Ham United FT

Final score - Colchester United 1-2 West Ham United

91 mins - GOAL! West Ham finish the night on a low. Olufemi drives the cross in from the right about seven feet off the ground. Ibehre thunders in, gets above Ruddock and plants the downward header powerfully past Adrian. The Spaniard cannot do anything about that and he spreads his arms wide in frustration. Ibehre's touch is the last of the match as the final whistle is blown a second or two later. That's full-time and West Ham have won, but there will be frustration that they were unable to keep a clean sheet. Don't forget, we'll have exclusive coverage of the Hammers' tour of Germany, starting tomorrow! We'll also have exclusive reaction from tonight's game. Thanks for joining us this evening, and goodnight.

89 mins - Lletget and Collison combine on the edge of the box before Maiga heads wide.

87 mins - Watt has been lively and he already has a new song, it appears. The former Arsenal and Leeds United youngster shoots low and Adrian gets his body right behind it. Moments later, Watt tries to run Potts, but the left-back sticks to his task well and forces the ball back to Adrian. Some U's players and fans want a penalty, but nothing is given.

86 mins - As things draw to a close in Essex, West Ham will be jetting off to Germany tomorrow. They play three games there in the space of nine days, all against Bundesliga opposition. FSV Mainz are up first on Saturday, followed by Hamburger SV in Flensburg next Tuesday and newly-promoted Eintracht Braunschweig a week on Sunday.

85 mins - Lletget creates again, clipping a ball over for Collison. Unfortunately, it's a yard too strong and Cousins flies out to collect on the slide.

84 mins - Colchester win another corner off Potts this time. Diarra smashes it clear on the volley from the near post area for a throw-in.

83 mins - O'Donoghue is in space down the left and he receives possession before firing over a low cross that Watt volleys over the top.

81 mins - Wright forces a corner off Reid. The ball is headed into the air and Adrian collects before smashing a fantastic sidewinder kick out to Vaz Te on halfway. That was right into the No12's stride. He races forward and wins a corner. Jaaskelainen applauds on from the dugout. The corner comes to nothing.

79 mins - I have been watching Seb Lletget play since he joined the Club and I can honestly say this is the sharpest I've ever seen him look. He is quick and elusive on the ball and snapping away at his opponents when not in possession. Very good.

76 mins - Four changes from Colchester. Morrison, Massey, Eastman and Barrett off, with Ibehre, Pappoe, O'Donoghue and Wright replacing them.

75 mins - Outstanding from Lletget. He gets 'Ooohs' and cheers from the crowd as he turns on a sixpence (a 5p coin for the younger ones) on the edge of the D and leaves two defenders grasping at air. Vaz Te almost benefits as Cousins just about diverts his shot into the side netting. The corner is cleared.

74 mins - Great action! Vaz Te races through and cuts onto his left foot before seeing his shot half-blocked and clawed away by Cousins. Collison is there for the follow-up, but Cousins blocks with his feet and the ball spins wide for a corner.

73 mins - Don't forget, tickets for the opening two home matches and the Big Six against Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are on sale now to Bond Holders and Academy Members. Back here, Adrian collects a low shot from Massey safely.

69 mins - Lletget's neat turn and pass inside the full-back is good and Jarvis wins a corner. It's taken short and Colchester clear when Cole's cross comes in.

67 mins - We will, of course, have highlights and reaction from tonight's game on West Ham TV. Don't forget, we'll also have coverage of the Hammers' tour to Germany, which starts tomorrow!

66 mins - Maiga has another go, but this time he curls the left-foot shot high and wide. Before the re-start, Sears is replaced by Sanchez Watt. Sears gets a decent round from both sets of supporters and a high-five from Dan Potts on his way off.

63 mins - What a chance for Maiga to make it 3-0! The ball is fizzed in from the right and Maiga seemingly only has to finish from six yards. He side-foots wide of the near post.

60 mins - Colchester replace Bean with Gilbey. West Ham make SIX changes. Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Taylor, Cole and Morrison go off, with Potts, Ruddock, Reid, Collison, Jarvis and Vaz Te on in their places. O'Brien switches to right-back.

59 mins - Morrison collects on halfway and runs 35 yards with the ball. He is encouraged to shoot by the crowd, drops his shoulder and then slices the ball into the stand. Unlucky.

57 mins - Lletget collects on the edge of the D and cuts onto his right foot before shooting a couple of yards over the crossbar. Good stuff from the American.

56 mins - Sears races down the left before cutting inside and seeing his shot blocked. The ball bounces out of the area, where Adrian tries to beat Bean with a turn. He then clears only as far as Izzet, but the Spaniard recovers to catch the midfielder's cross above his head. A bit of a let-off, there.

55 mins - West Ham win two more corners. The second of which is won by Diarra. The ball drops to the edge of the six-yard box but the home side clear their lines.

53 mins - Lletget wins another corner. Cole takes again right-footed and Cousins flaps and can only help the ball out for a throw on the far side. West Ham attack again and Taylor's cross to the far post is helped wide by Maiga. To be fair to the striker, he was under severe pressure and stretching for the ball.

50 mins - GOAL! Cole gets a loud round of applause as he trots over to take the left-wing corner. He whips it in and Collins loses his marker before glancing a header into the far corner past the man on the post. More loud cheers from the West Ham fans behind the goal.

49 mins - A couple of chances in quick succession for Colchester. First, Okuonghae heads Olufemi's cross wide, then Sears sees his shot blocked. West Ham break and Maiga wins a corner off a defender as he crosses from the left.

47 mins - Lletget again, intercepting a pass from Sears and running at the Colchester back four. He tries to pick out Maiga's run to his left, but the No11 is offside. Lletget clasps his hands together in frustration. Cole was galloping up unmarked to his right, too.

46 mins - Colchester get the second half underway, but not before we enjoy some Bon Jovi over the PA system. Lletget is immediately into the action, winning the ball back from Bean in midfield.

Three half-time changes for West Ham, with Rat, Diame and Lee replaced by O'Brien, Lletget and Maiga. Tonight's attendance is 6,610, with a decent 2,569 supporting the Hammers.

Half-time score - Colchester United 0-1 West Ham United

46 mins - No added time is played and the referee Mr Deadman brings the first half to a close. West Ham lead, but in rather fortunate circumstances. Don't forget, you can view exclusive images from tonight's game on our official Facebook page

42 mins - Lee and Cole combine before Cole spins a superb pass out wide left for Diame. He ignores the run of Rat, cuts inside and launches a shot high into the stands.

40 mins - And now a big chance for Colchester. Olufemi gets down the right and pulls the ball back from the byline superbly. Bond runs onto it and fires in a shot which...Collins blocks! Demel recovers to ensure the follow-up effort comes to nothing. The corner comes in and Collins challenges Morrison. The ball hits Collins last. Another corner. From the second one, Morrison holds up before laying off for Sears, whose shot is charged down by Taylor.

39 mins - Big chance for Lee. The young No25 plays a one-two with Taylor and is in on goal. He is slightly to the right of the target and draws Cousins before trying to beat the goalkeeper low to the left. Cousins saves with his right boot. So close.

38 mins - Demel and Diame combine before Cole spins superbly away from Bean. Class. He then tries to play in Demel with the outside of his right foot, but the ball just skips too far and Cousins is out to collect.

36 mins - Another half-chance for the U's. Collins gives the ball away and Bond finds Morrison. He controls and tries to play in Sears. The former Hammer has the run on Rat, but his touch lets him down and Adrian is able to collect. West Ham break, but Demel's cross is cleared for a throw.

35 mins - Fair play to Colchester as they have come into things. Morrison collects from Massey and shoots right-footed. Collins is there to make the block. How many times will I type that this season?!

31 mins - Commentator's curse! Massey collects inside the left channel before cutting inside Demel and curling a shot inches wide of the right-hand post. From this angle, that looked as if it had gone in. It must have been inches wide. Before the goal kick, Noble is replaced by Alou Diarra. Noble, of course, was originally meant to be a substitute. The skipper controlled the game tonight. Very composed as you might expect.

30 mins - West Ham's dominance is less marked in terms of chances created, but they are knocking the ball around confidently and are completely controlling possession. Big Sam will just want the tempo upped at times to open up the home side.

26 mins - Diame can change the game in an instant. Some patient passing in defence and midfield ends with Diame collecting from Rat and racing past Bean. He moves with the ball as quickly as most players move without it. He gets to within 22 yards of the goal before shooting. The ball hits Okuonghae and Colchester clear. Great stuff from the Senegal captain.

22 mins - Out of nowhere, Adrian is called into action for a second time. Sears' driven cross from the right hits Collins and bounces into the path of Morrison. His first-time shot is pushed aside by the Spaniard and out for a corner. From the delivery, Collins charges down Bean's shot and Lee nearly benefits on halfway, but he cannot get the better of his defender as he tries to run free.

21 mins - Joe Cole again. He is so lively. He runs across the Colchester back four and is picked out by a ball from Rat. Unfortunately, Cole has strayed offside. The flag is raised, but Cousins makes a good save low to his left to deny the England midfielder.

19 mins - Clever interplay between Demel and Taylor ends with the Ivorian forcing a corner. Taylor's delivery to the near post is hacked out for a throw. The ball boy bottles the header, much to the amusement of the crowd sat behind him!

17 mins - Rat crosses from the left and Cousins makes a good save to deny Lee. The striker's disappointment will be tempered by the fact he had been flagged offside.

16 mins - I'm no expert, but Joe Cole does look really lean and fit. He was superb at Bournemouth on Saturday and rolled back the years with some outrageous skill. Meanwhile, Colchester show for the first time and it's Bean who runs forward and is urged to shoot by the crowd. He does, from 25 yards, but it's straight at Adrian. The Spaniard holds on well.

12 mins - Diame romps forward and leaves one opposition on the player with a neat turn. He has the ball on his left foot 25 yards out, but his curler is too high. Goal kick.

11 mins - Colchester really have not carried much of a threat at all so far. I don't think the U's have touched the ball inside the West Ham penalty area once.

7 mins - GOAL! Joe Cole is vastly talented but I'm not sure even he meant that! Cousins has already hacked one clearance straight to Lee and now his attempted kick upfield hits Cole and spins into the bottom left-hand corner. Awful for the U's goalkeeper. Cole seems almost embarrassed to celebrate.

5 mins - A half-chance falls to Lee. Taylor mis-controls Diame's through ball and the ball ricochets off a defender before Cousins hacks clear. It is low and straight to Lee, who takes a touch but sees his shot from 30 yards towards the empty net blocked.

3 mins - This is a massive chance for Elliot Lee to impress. I am informed that he will be joining the first-team squad on their tour of Germany, so he will have a great opportunity to show Big Sam and his staff what he can do. Meanwhile, Diame brings down left-back Barrett about 40 yards out. Sears takes the free-kick but it's easily headed clear.

7.45pm - We're off and running here in Colchester. The temperature has dropped quite sharply in the last half-hour. In fact, I've had to pull on the tracksuit bottoms over the shorts! Disgraceful. On the pitch, Diame runs onto a ball into the channel from Demel but his cross is wayward and curls high and behind for a goal kick.

7.43pm - Mark Noble is captaining West Ham tonight and he leads the Hammers out of the tunnel. West Ham will get things underway. There is a very decent following here from east London, especially considering the difficulty many supporters will have had getting to north Essex this evening.

7.35pm - I am informed that Colchester will line-up as follows - Cousins in goal, Olufemi, Okuonghae, Eastman and Barrett across the back four, Izzet in front of the back four, Bond and Bean in central midfield and Sears and Massey either side of central striker Morrison. West Ham's champion fundraiser Jonjo Heuermann is introduced to the crowd. He has raised £100,000 after collecting captain's armbands from each of the 92 Premier League and Football League clubs. Jonjo says he is now planning to dribble a football 38 miles from Southend United's Roots Hall to the Boleyn Ground. Jonjo, of course, is raising money for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK in memory of both Bobby Moore and his late Nan.

7.25pm - Two late changes to the Hammers XI, with Diarra and Maiga dropping to the bench after being caught in traffic earlier. Noble and Lee come into the starting XI.

7.05pm - We have the team news:

Colchester United: Cousins, Okuonghae, Bean, Bond, Eastman, Massey, Olufemi, Barrett, Izzet, Sears, Morrison
Subs: Wright, Watt, O'Toole, Ibehre, Gilbey, Pappoe, Szmodics, Phillips, Wright, O'Donoghue

West Ham United: Adrian, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Noble, Diame, Taylor, Cole, Morrison, Lee
Subs: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Reid, Ruddock, Potts, Diarra, Lletget, Collison, Vaz Te, Maiga, Jarvis, Whitehead, Moncur

6.30pm - Well, the evening has certainly not started as everyone would have planned, with a serious accident on the northbound A12 at Hatfield Peverel - about 15 miles south of Colchester - holding up both players and supporters alike. At present, there don't appear to be plans to delay the kick-off, but we will keep you all posted. For now, you can view an exclusive Facebook photo gallery from the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Good evening and welcome to Essex for West Ham United's fourth pre-season friendly, with the Hammers taking on League One outfit Colchester United at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Sam Allardyce's squad have made the short trip up the A12 to face Joe Dunne's squad, with both clubs having recorded three wins out of three in pre-season. The Hammers defeated Cork City 6-2 to round off a successful week in the Republic of Ireland, before Boreham Wood (3-0) and AFC Bournemouth (2-0) were seen off on home shores. Colchester have beaten non-league trio Heybridge Swifts, AFC Sudbury and Bishop's Stortford.

Big Sam will have some extra help tonight, with Assistant Manager for the Day Ian Eggers and his guest Harry Herbert. Ian successfully bid for the opportunity to join the manager and his staff in the dugout at the Player Awards in May.

Team news-wise, Big Sam will hope captain Kevin Nolan has shaken off the knock he took in Saturday's Stephen Purches Testimonial at Bournemouth, but Andy Carroll (heel) and George McCartney (knee) remain sidelined.

For Colchester, former Hammer Freddie Sears will be hoping to take to the field against his former employers. Dunne will be withouth summer signing Craig Eastmond, but fellow former Arsenal youngster Sanchez Watt is set to make his home debut for the U's. Chelsea loanee Daniel Pappoe is also set to feature at centre-back.

Academy Members can snap up tickets for West Ham's opening two Barclays Premier League matches of the 2012/13 season NOW! For full details of how to secure your seat for the visits of Cardiff City on 17 August and Stoke City a fortnight later, click here.

Tickets have also gone on sale for the Hammers' Big Six most sought-after fixtures with Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Chelsea. For full details, click here.

We'll have the team news confirmed at around 6.45pm. Don't forget, we'll have exclusive images from tonight's game on our official Facebook page.