Barclays Premier Reserve League South
West Ham United reserves v Stoke City reserves
Woodside Park - Bishop's Stortford FC
Tuesday 7 April 2009
Referee: I Cooper
Full time - The referee blows the final whistle to bring matters to a close. It was a solid performance from West Ham United and the win was no more than they deserved. Daniel Kearns' early strike was all that separated the sides but the hosts dominated from start to finish. With Tottenham Hotspur not in action, the Hammers jump from fourth to third.
90min - We are playing three minutes of added time.
88min - Time is ticking away here and it seems one goal will be enough. When Kearns scored after two minutes it seemed certain that more would follow but both sides have found efforts on goal hard to come by. The home team have definitely had the better with Kurucz hardly troubled.
87min - So nearly a wonder goal for Hines. Okus stepped out from defence superbly before finding Abdulla. He then released Hines to surge on goal off the right flank but his shot was blocked by two defenders. Stoke tried to counter through Urwin but his shot was well wide.
85min - Danger for West Ham after Abdulla fouls Urwin. Moult takes the free-kick but Bajner is back in defence to head away the danger.
84min - Urwin sends a pass goalwards but Kurucz steps out to collect and get the home side going again. A quick counterattack finishes with Bajner firing in on goal but Harrison gets in the way to block it for a corner.
80min - Grasser is feeling his ankle after a collision with a Stoke player. He should be OK to continue though.
78min - Okus is fouled by Alexander.
77min - Stoke briefly threaten but Bajner clears from a free-kick. While there is only one goal in it, the visitors will feel they still have a chance.
75min - Warwick Alexander is on for Adam Vickers while Abdulla arrives in place of Montano.
73min - Ahmed Abdulla is preparing to come on in Dyer's first change.
72min - Okus sends in a free-kick into the penalty area but Harrison comes out to collect.
69min - Salif Diao, the experienced Senegalese international who is just back from a serious knee injury, is on for Hedley in the visitors' first change.
67min - Grasser's trickery sees him beat the full-back before crossing for Bajner. The ball falls though to Montano and he tries his luck with a scissor-kick that is straight at Harrison.
66min - Okus feeds Bajner in the box. The striker turns on the ball but cannot direct his header on target.
65min - Edgar bursts forward and lets fly from 25 yards. The shot only just misses the goal.
64min - Hines wins the ball off Alex Hedley and is fouled for his troubles.
63min - Fry wins another defensive header to find Kearns who releases Edgar. The home defence have been on top all game and have scarcely put a foot wrong.
61min - Tom Urwin is down for the visitors. Hines comes across to talk to Dyer and get a deserved drink. The striker is the only home player on view with first-team experience and it surely won't be long before he gets another chance. He has performed very well this evening.
58min - Edgar fires tamely on goal after superb build-up play involving Bajner. The striker is proving more effective this half and you sense he just needs a chance on goal.
57min - Hines again fires in low across the box, this time after being picked out by 'Gala's searching crossfield pass. Lee also had a go from the other side but Harrison was able to claim.
56min - Kearns takes the free-kick from a wide left position and only just misses the top corner. There are shouts for a foul in the box but the referee waves away the appeals.
56min - Hines runs fully 50 yards up the left wing before being taken out by Adam Vickers, who receives a caution. The West Ham No10 has been the outstanding player on view and deserved the chance to get a shot away with that burst forward.
54min - Grasser nearly plays in Montano but Stoke clear. It all began with a quick Kurucz throw to Grasser and involved Edgar before the left-back finished off the move bursting through the middle. Good play.
52min - Kearns fires over after a neat one-two with Bajner. Lee had also played his part in the build-up and gets a word of approval from manager Alex Dyer.
51min - Brunt has a go from distance but the shot is weak and it trickles wide to Kurucz's right.
50min - Outstanding work by Hines on the left before a dangerous cross into the box that bounces just in front of Harrison. Bajner was just unable to get to it in time.
49min - Stoke's Andy Nicholls has been down for treatment. He goes off but is soon back in the action.
47min - Kearns lofts one in for Bajner but Ryan Connor just beats him to it.
46min - Hines races down the left and into the penalty area. He is just denied a shot on goal by Harrison.
46min - Stoke get us under way in the second half.
Half-time - West Ham United reserves 1-0 Stoke City reserves
45min - Montano and Kearns combine well but Stoke do enough to stop the attack. We are playing one minute of added time.
43min - Stoke are finishing more strongly although in truth the hosts are still well on top. Vauls is getting frustrated by Hines' ability to shield the ball and draw the foul whenever the two come together.
41min - Bajner goes into the book for a foul.
38min - Perhaps Stoke's best move of the game finishes with Lee heading behind for a corner. From it Kurucz claims easily from Moult's inswinger.
37min - Edgar wins a corner. Kearns takes it and Bajner rises just in front of the goalkeeper but the referee spots an apparent infringement.
36min - Edgar goes down after a one-two with Hines. Wedderburn is being spoken to by the referee and it is a free-kick 20 yards out to the right of goal.
34min - Lovely build-up play by West Ham United sees the ball moved from left to right and then back again. There is plenty of neat passing on view.
32min - Another excellent Kearns corner picks out Montano but his header is down into the turf and then claimed by Harrison.
31min - Hines is only just thwarted by a Vauls tackle. From the resulting Kearns corner, Harrison just punches away ahead of Bajner. More sustained pressure wins another corner.
30min - Edgar has a go from distance but Harrison saves the low shot with ease. Kurucz has yet to be tested at the other end.
29min - Hines shows great skill to control a 50 yard pass from Matthew Fry, the centre-back who has reverted to his more familiar position tonight in the absence of Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson. The Icelandic Under-21 international has a knock, as does young right-back Ryan O'Neill, and was not risked. Fry has performed well in recent weeks at left-back.
27min - Some crunching tackles are going in. It is a committed performance from both sides, who may be short on experience but are showing plenty of enthusiasm.
24min - Georg Grasser has done well at left-back so far. He has not had to deal with too much but the Austrian youth international has been tidy and composed.
23min - More good play by Montano out on the left wing finishes in an offside flag just denying Hines the chance to shoot for goal.
21min - Brilliant play by Bajner sees him win the ball off Nathaniel Wedderburn and then move through on goal. Just as Harrison closes him down, the Hungary Under-19 striker squares for Montano to shoot. However, Harrison recovers and is able to save.
18min - Alex Dyer's side are playing a a very fluid formation that sees Bajner at the point of the attack with Edgar and Kearns joining him whenever the home side have the ball. Hines seems to have a free role that is proving very effective.
16min - Hines again tidies up at the back before reverting to his attacking duties. He is getting a lot of joy whenever he pulls out to the right flank as shown by another good cross that Bajner rises to meet before Harrison just about punches clear.
15min - Bright play by Moult sees him evade the attentions of Lee and Kearns before Bondz 'Gala comes across and clears the danger.
13min - Richard Vauls fouls Hines. Stoke City are struggling to cope with their hosts. Next Louis Moult is penalised for an infringement, this time on Anthony Edgar. Okus curls one in but Harrison claims it under his crossbar with relative ease.
11min - Hines is proving lively and again nearly picks out a team-mate inside the box, this time it is Bajner who goes close to it before a Stoke defender clears.
10min - West Ham United were 2-0 winners in the previous meeting between these two sides eight days ago and look good for the victory again. Hines tricks his way along the right before sending in a cross that only just eludes Montano, the Colombian-born mdifielder.
7min - Hines curls in the set-piece but it just flashes past Harrison's right-hand post and behind to safety
6min - Cristian Montano wins a free-kick 20 yards from goal after being fouled. He had controlled the ball well from a neat headed pass by Bajner.
4min - The sun is just dropping behind the Stoke City goal which is giving Peter Kurucz a few problems at the other end. It is a lovely evening here in the Essex countryside and the early goal was equally well received by the few hundred gathered at Woodside Park.
3min - Great play by Zavon Hines. He dropped back to help out his defence after Stoke's first attack and won a free-kick after dispossessing Darren Brunt.
2min - GOAL! - Daniel Kearns scores from close range after more good work on the right wing. The Northern Irish youth international gave Tom Harrison no chance in the Stoke goal.
2min - So nearly an early goal for Bajner. He just fails to get on the end of a low cross by Oliver Lee, who has dropped back from midfield into a right-back role.
1min - Balint Bajner and Danny Kearns get us under way.
KICK-OFF
West Ham United: Peter Kurucz, Oliver Lee, Bondz 'Gala, Matthew Fry, Georg Grasser, Anthony Edgar, Conor Okus, Cristian Montano (Ahmed Abdulla 75), Daniel Kearns, Zavon Hines, Balint Bajner
Subs not used: Peter Loveday, Callum McNaughton, Sergio Sanchez, NIck Barrett
Stoke City: Tom Harrison, Alex Hedley (Salif Diao 69), Richard Vauls, Andy Nicholls, Nathaniel Wedderburn, Ryan Connor, Tom Urwin, Danny Stockhall, Darren Brunt, Louis Moult, Adam Vickers (Warwick Alexander 75)
Subs not used: Dave Parton, Cameron Mitchell