Barclays Premier Reserve League South
West Ham United v Aston Villa
Woodside Park, Bishop's Stortford
Tuesday 17 March
7pm
Referee: N Kinseley
MATCH REPORT
West Ham United reserves 0-2 Aston Villa reserves
94 min - West Ham end the game on the attack, but times runs out on them as the referee blows the final whistle. Villa were just a little bit too good for the Hammers on the night.
91 min - Abdulla gets some treatment for a facial injury but, after a quick check-up, he is ready to go again.
90 min - James Collins is the final substitute to be used tonight. He comes on for the impressive Delfouneso. There will be three added minutes.
86 min - Sergio Sanchez makes his reserve team debut, replacing Grasser for the final few minutes.
84 min - GOAL! Hofbauer heads home from eight yards and the ball bounces past Kurucz into the far corner.
81 min - Cristian Montano is on for Hines for the final ten minutes.
79 min - West Ham are still passing the ball neatly, but they do not look that likely to forge a clear-cut opening. As if to illustrate that fact, Oliver Lee sees a speculative shot blocked.
75 min - Ahmed Abdulla comes on to replace Balint Bajner. The youngster scored for the Under-18s against Portsmouth nine days ago. More of the same is in order tonight.
73 min - Kurucz is in the right place to gather Delfouneso's header from Albrighton's deep cross. Seconds later, the goalkeeper is called into action again to scramble clear Delfouneso's low shot.
71 min - Substitute Hofbauer scoops his shot over the crossbar from close-range after latching on to Salifou's fine pass. He should have done better there, the former SK Sturm Graz man.
69 min - Harewood latches on to a through-ball but drags his shot across the face of goal. That was a bit of a let-off for the home side.
66 min - West Ham continue to press and Anthony Edgar is unlucky to see his fierce strike parried to safety by Parish.
64 min - Hines robs his marker but can only drag his shot wide of the near post from inside the penalty area. He should maybe have done better there. Villa boss MacDonald responds by replacing goalscorer Weimann with fellow Austrian Dominik Hofbauer.
61 min - Salifou fires a weak low shot straight at Kurucz. Villa then make their first change of the evening, replacing the injured Lowry with England Under-19 defender Nathan Baker.
58 min - West Ham force a corner off Villa right-back Matthew Roome. Kearns takes the flag-kick but it is easily headed clear at the near post. The home side definitely are not out of this game.
54 min - West Ham's early charge is ended as Villa hit back. Harewood controls the ball inside the penalty area but makes a hash of his attempted back-heel. Coach MacDonald was not very impressed with that effort.
50 min - Appeals for handball as Bajner hooks the ball goalwards following good work down the right from Kearns, but the referee waves away the home team's protests. Seconds later, Hines smashes the ball goalwards, but it hits Lowry and bounces to safety. The Hammers have started well after the break.
48 min - The second half has started slowly, with West Ham controlling the early possession.
46 min - Villa get us underway again.
Half-time - West Ham United Reserves 0-1 Aston Villa Reserves
49 min - The referee blows for half-time. Join us again in 15 minutes for live coverage of the second period.
47 min - To be fair to Villa, they could be more than a goal to the good as the first half comes to a close. Bajner's early chance aside, West Ham have created little. Having said all that, Villa are top of the league for a reason. They are a strong side and are clearly well coached by the former Liverpool midfielder Kevin MacDonald. The Scot won the double with the Reds in 1986.
45 min - Weimann was actually injured in trying to score that second goal and has received lengthy treatment. After a short jog along the touchline, he is back in the thick of the action. There are going to be at least three added minutes.
42 min - Villa are definitely on top now. Harewood swaps passes with Delfouneso inside the penalty area before the latter fires over from close-range. Seconds later Albrighton finds goalscorer Weimann inside the box, but a combination of Eyjolfsson and Kurucz stop the 17-year-old from doubling the visitors' advantage. For the stattos among us, you may be interested to know that Weimann joined Villa from SK Rapid Vienna.
41 min - Edgar is robbed by Albrighton near the halfway line. The winger drives forward and lets fly from 25 yards, forcing Kurucz into a plunging save low to his left.
40 min - Edgar sets Hines clear down the left touchline, the striker runs at his man but loses control of the ball and Parish collects.
39 min - The Hammers launch an attack. Lee finds Eyjolfsson rampaging down the right but his low cross is easily cleared.
37 min - Kurucz makes a brave save at the feet of Delfouneso after Lowry had headed down Lichaj's free-kick. West Ham do not clear the danger and Salifou finds Harewood, who pulls the trigger but flashes his shot across the face of Kurucz's goal and out for a goal-kick. Villa are really pressing hard here.
35 min - GOAL! The Austrian Weimann nips in front of his marker to give Villa the lead from Harewood's near-post cross. Kurucz had no chance with that shot.
34 min - Ciaran Clark, who is an England Under-19 defender, upends Bajner. Fry launches a free-kick into the penalty area, but it is headed clear. West Ham are not posing much of a threat at the present time. Having said that, nor are Villa.
32 min - Villa's side is a cosmopilitan affair. Left-back Eric Lichaj is a United States Under-20 international, while Moustapha Salifou represented Togo at the 2006 World Cup alongside Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor. Lowry is a Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, while winger Andreas Weimann has played for his native Austria at Under-17 level.
30 min - Jordan Spence and Kyel Reid, who are currently on loan at Leyton Orient and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively, have braved the cold to cheer on their West Ham team-mates tonight. On the pitch, meanwhile, Delfouneso finds Jonathan Hogg, but his clipped cross is too far in front of Albrighton and floats harmlessly behind.
27 min - Georg Grasser wins a free-kick after wrong-footing two Villa players with a neat drag-back. The Austrian youngster has not looked over-awed against the league leaders.
25 min - Hines beats two defenders before being challenged. The referee gives a goal-kick. Hines disagrees loudly and receives a yellow card for his vocal protest.
23 min - Villa come close again. Eric Lichaj crosses from the left, Nathan Delfouneso flicks on and Albrighton volleys the ball back across the face of goal and behind for a goal-kick.
22 min - Albrighton stands over a free-kick and curls it to the far post, where Fry does well to head the ball over his own crossbar. Albrighton's resulting corner is flicked on by Shane Lowry and cleared off the line by Lee. That was a close call for the Hammers.
20 min - Kearns is at it again, sending Lee clear of the defence, but the midfielder's touch lets him down. West Ham are gaining a strong footing in this game.
18 min - Oliver Lee completes a slick move involving Kearns and Hines by driving a low fizzing shot just wide of the far post from the corner of the penalty area. That was a lovely piece of play from Alex Dyer's side.
16 min - Harewood runs at the Hammers back-four but slices his left-foot shot out of the stadium from around 25 yards.
15 min - The home side appear to be employing a fluid system, with Hines and Daniel Kearns helping target man Bajner.
14 min - West Ham's management team have made the trip up the M11 to Woodside Park. Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke are both here, while goalkeeping coach Ludek Miklosko is casting his eye over debutant Kurucz.
10 min - Villa have started the brighter of the two sides, but it is Bajner who has gone closest to an opening goal. The visitors have scored ten goals in their last two reserve matches, beating Portsmouth 6-1 and Chelsea 4-3, so West Ham will have to be on their guard for the full 90 minutes. As if to prove that point, Marc Albrighton cuts inside from the left and fires a low shot wide of the near post.
8 min - Harewood block's Fry's attempted clearance, but the left-back does superbly to track back and win the ball back off the striker with a well-timed tackle.
7 min - Moustapha Salifou clips a free-kick into the West Ham penalty area, but it is headed clear by Matt Fry.
6 min - Villa goalkeeper Elliott Parish is down smartly to his right to keep out Balint Bajner's shot following good work from Zavon Hines down the left-hand side of the penalty area.
5 min - Neither side has forged an opening yet. Kurucz is out smartly to save at the feet of Harewood.
2 min - Peter Kurucz makes a confident start to his West Ham United career, coming confidently to catch a cross. The Hungarian has played nine first-team games for Hungarian side Ujpest FC.
1 min - We're off here at Bishop's Stortford. Conor Okus is slotting in at left-back, with Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson at right-back. Matt Fry and captain 'Gala are in the centre of the defence.
6.58pm - Here come the two teams. Marlon Harewood is wearing the captain's armband for Aston Villa. Bondz 'Gala will skipper the home side.
6.55pm - A late change has been made to the Hammers line-up, with Tom Harvey missing out. Conor Okus is promoted from the substitutes' bench, with Callum McNaughton coming into the 16-man squad.
West Ham United reserve coach Alex Dyer has named an inexperienced team for tonight's Barclays Premier Reserve League South fixture against table-toppers Aston Villa at Bishop's Stortford FC. Striker Zavon Hines, who has recently signed a new two-year contract, is the only player with competitive first-team experience in the Hammers' starting lineup.
There is a familiar face in the Aston Villa team, with former West Ham forward Marlon Harewood partnering England Under-19 international Nathan Delfouneso up front.
West Ham United reserves: Kurucz, Okus, 'Gala, Eyjolfsson, Fry, Kearns, Lee, Grasser, Edgar, Bajner, Hines
Subs: Abdulla, Loveday, McNaughton, Sanchez. Montano
Aston Villa reserves: Parish, Roome, Lichaj, Clark, Lowry, Albrighton, Hogg, Salifou, Weimann, Delfouneso, Harewood
Subs: Dau, Baker, Gardner, Hofbauer, Collins