Arsenal reserves v West Ham United reserves
Barclays Premier Reserve League South
Underhill, Barnet FC
Monday 22 March 2010
Kick-off: 7pm
Full-time score - Arsenal reserves 0-2 West Ham United reserves
94 mins - The full-time whistle is blown. Dyer will be delighted with his team's application tonight. They've worked their socks off and scored two good goals. Plenty of positives and a semblance of revenge for Saturday's Premier League defeat by the same opposition. Be sure to visit WHUTV tomorrow for highlights and exclusive reaction from tonight's game.
93 mins - Kurucz is there again! He makes a fantastic reflex save to tip Miguel's shot over the bar. From the resulting corner, Dixon hacks clear.
92 mins - Full marks to the Hammers tonight. A lot of the lads in dark blue have played very well. Kurucz, who is wearing grey, saves well again from Barazite's header.
91 mins - We're going to have a minimum of three added minutes. Arsenal keep passing, but they're not scoring...
89 mins - Henderson and Ozyakup combine to set up another shooting chance for Barazite, but he drives his shot well wide from 25 yards. The break gives Dyer the chance to replace Wearen with Kearns.
88 mins - We're going to see Danny Kearns at the next break in play.
86 mins - Interesting effort from Frimpong, whose bicycle kick hits the roof of the stand. A third change for Arsenal is made, with Nicos Yennaris on for Fimpong.
85 mins - Wearen is back into the action, just in time to see Kurucz make another fine save to deny Barazite. The Dutchman had got in behind McNaughton and really should have finished Coquelin's pass.
83 mins - The game is being played almost exclusively inside the West Ham half. The Hammers threaten to break through Dixon, but Eastmond gets in a vital challenge. A slight break in play as Wearen receives some running repairs for what looks like a stiff back. The Irishman has done a lot of running tonight. He's going to be OK to continue.
82 mins - That's Watt's last contribution, He is the man replaced by Angha.
81 mins - The substitute, Martin Angha, is waiting to make his entrance, but the ball won't go out of play. Watt tries to get in behind Sanchez, but his balance lets him down and Kurucz collects. Seconds later, Ozyakup crosses and Watt heads wide at the far post, but it would not have counted. The No11 was offside.
79 mins - Arsenal are going make a second change here, but not before Coquelin receives some attention after Wearen fell on top of him.
77 mins - West Ham concede a corner. Henderson's initial delivery is half-cleared by Wearen, but the ball finds its way back to the No10. He whips it in left-footed, but it skips wide of the far post.
76 mins - McNaughton has slotted in as the left of the three centre-backs, with Brown moving out to left wing-back.
75 mins - Good work again from Kurucz, who is out quickly to acrobatically snatch the ball away from in front of Barazite. West Ham are going to make their first change here. Ferrari is replaced by Callum McNaughton.
74 mins - Dixon wins the ball back and feeds Wearen, who is tripped by Frimpong inside the centre circle. A chance for the Hammers to alleviate some pressure.
73 mins - Both sets of fans are getting a bit excited, exchanging banter in the stand. It's all good-natured stuff.
71 mins - Evina crosses and Watt slides in at the near post, but Spence is there to clear.
70 mins - Freeman is replaced by Oguzhan Ozyakup for the final 20 minutes or so.
69 mins - What a save! Kurucz hasn't had a lot to do so far, but he is obviously fully focused on the game as he flings himself to his left to keep out Barazite's snap-shot. The chance had come after West Ham failed to clear an Arsenal corner.
68 mins - Evina crosses and, guess who? Yes, Sanchez slides in to clear again. Arsenal are really upping the pressure on the Hammers here. It may be a matter of fitness now.
67 mins - Good positioning from Sanchez there as he clears Frimpong's cross from inside his own six-yard box. Seconds later, he is there again to hack Evina's cross clear.
65 mins - Evina crosses from left-back, but Frimpong can't get enough on his header and the ball skims wide again. A win tonight would take West Ham above Portsmouth into fifth place, while Arsenal would remain second in the table.
64 mins - Nearly deja-vu all over again for Fabianski, who dives to his right to collect Abdulla's cross, only to allow the ball to slip from his grasp. Luckily for the goalkeeper, Miquel was there to clean up the danger.
61 mins - Watt turns on the jets to burst past Lee, but his cross is headed behind by Sanchez. Henderson crosses and Barazite heads over the top.
59 mins - Sergio Sanchez will not want to see that again! He slips over and allows the ball to bounce past him to Henderson. Wearen tries to challenge. The No10 gets his shot away, but it is wide of the far post.
57 mins - Arsenal come close to halving the deficit with a marvellous goal. Henderson finds Coquelin, who tricks his way inside Ferrari with a drop of the shoulder before rolling the ball to Barazite 25 yards from goal. The Dutch youngster takes a touch before curling a shot over Kurucz, but it bounces back off the crossbar to safety.
56 mins - Spence brings the ball clear before challenging Frimpong, who doesn't like the defender's tackle. The referee waves the Arsenal midfielder away and tells him to get on with the game.
55 mins - Dixon's tail is up. He pulls Ferrari's long pass out of the air with his toe, but is crowded out before the supporting cast can climb the hill to join him.
54 mins - The visiting fans among the small crowd loved that goal, as you might expect. I would suggest even the home supporters sitting around me were a trifle impressed, too.
52 mins - GOAL! That was a fantastic goal. Abdulla launches an inch-perfect pass over the Gunners back-four to Dixon. The forward lets the ball bounce before lashing a low shot past Fabianski first-time. The Pole got a hand to the ball, but he couldn't keep it out. Fine pass, and an even better finish.
50 mins - Good work from Wearen to win the ball back in midfield. Abdulla lays it off to Payne, but his first-time pass for Dixon is overhit and flies out for a goal-kick. Dixon was in plenty of space there.
49 mins - Payne fouls Watt about 30 yards from goal. The forward curls the ball in and Spence heads clear. He has been a rock so far, has the captain.
48 mins - West Ham haven't climbed the hill out of their own half yet since the break. Arsenal are knocking the ball around confidently, and Ferrari is forced into a rushed clearance under pressure from Barazite.
46 mins - Brown is immediately put under pressure and plays the ball back to Kurucz, who boots it into the stand.
Here come the Hammers, led by captain Spence. No changes for either side at the interval. West Ham will kick-off, shooting up the slope, courtesy of Dixon and Abdulla.
Arsenal are out first after the break, just in time to watch West Ham sub Filip Modelski launch a shot that nearly clears the net behind the goal - and it's a very big net.
Half-time score - Arsenal reserves 0-1 West Ham United reserves
47 mins - After 70 seconds of added time, the referee blows for half-time.
46 mins - A clear shooting chance for Barazite as the game enters added time. Freeman finds him in space the wrong side of Brown, but he skies his shot into the net behind the goal.
45 mins - Payne concedes a free-kick, which Arsenal take quickly to Freeman, but Spence is there to challenge.
43 mins - West Ham are frustrating the home side here. Barrett picks up the ball from Dixon in midfield before being pulled to the ground. Payne lofts the ball into the penalty area, where Fabianski is out bravely to catch. He gets a whack on the head, but he's OK to continue.
41 mins - A crunching tackle from Payne sees the ball fly to Dixon, who runs at last defender Miquel before losing his footing. That was a half-chance.
39 mins - Arsenal break up the hill and win a corner. Barazite crosses high and Eastmond heads it harmlessly wide of the far post. He was unmarked, though, which manager Dyer will be concerned about.
38 mins - Close to a second for West Ham. Wearen's loose touch falls to Barrett 18 yards out. He hits his shot first-time, but it flies just past the angle of post and crossbar via a deflection off Cruise. The corner again comes to nothing.
36 mins - Wearen plays in Sanchez, who challenges Tom Cruise and the ball rolls out for a corner. The delivery is poor, however, and Arsenal hack the ball clear at the near post.
35 mins - A loose header from Brown falls to Barazite in the box. He falls to the ground, but no serious appeals are made for a penalty.
34 mins - Left-back Evina plays a ball between Lee and Sanchez for Henderson, but the No10's cross is weak and floats straight into Kurucz's hands. Still plenty of passing but no end-product from Arsenal. Captain Spence and his two fellow centre-backs are working hard to close any gaps.
31 mins - Modelski and Kearns have a run up and down the touchline. I don't blame them, as it's a bit cold. It's quite a still night, now, though, as the wind and rain have abated. Lee tries to loft a ball over the back four for Abdulla to chase, but he is offside.
29 mins - Payne clips the ball in and Abdulla heads it wide of the far post. It wouldn't have counted, though, as the assistant referee had raised his flag for offside.
28 mins - Payne concedes a free-kick inside the Arsenal half. It is taken quickly, but Barrett works hard to charge down Miquel's clearance before West Ham win a free-kick deep inside the Gunners half. Payne to take...
26 mins - Freeman runs at Sanchez before crossing left-footed, but it's too strong for the unmarked Nacer Barazite. Arsenal force a corner off Brown, but Kurucz is there to claim the high ball.
25 mins - Kurucz makes his first save of the night, and it's a comfortable one. Payne gives the ball away and it is worked to Henderson, who shoots low from 25 yards. The ball bounces harmlessly through into the Hungarian's arms.
23 mins - Beautiful football again from the Gunners, this time down the right. Unfortunately for the hosts, Francis Coquelin's cross is too strong and there is no-one in a red and white shirt to apply a finishing touch.
20 mins - Evina and Henderson combine well down the Arsenal left, but Ferrari is there to head the ball clear at the far post before Dixon wins a throw-in. Twenty minutes and manager Dyer will be delighted with the way his side have started here.
18 mins - This game could be being played in a room with a ceiling as high as the crossbar. The ball is being passed around neatly by both sets of players. Wearen show good strength to find Dixon on the edge of the penalty area. The Irishman tries to turn Ignasi Miguel, but the defender just does enough to clear the danger in time.
16 mins - Arsenal are still seeing more of the ball, but a couple of good sliding challenges on the edge of the penalty area from Lee and Sanchez keep the Gunners at arm's length.
14 mins - West Ham are working really hard all over the pitch to contain Arsenal, and it's working to good effect so far. Arsenal are playing some nice stuff in midfield, but they're not hurting the visitors in the final third.
11 mins - Arsenal try to hit back immediately and force Spence to head behind for a corner. Two young stewards race to retrieve the ball before Henderson curls the corner too deep and out for a goal kick.
9 mins - GOAL! Ferrari bags his second goal for West Ham, picking up the ball from Dixon's pass inside the box before lashing a left-foot shot across Fabianski and into the far corner. He celebrates by pointing to the sky with both hands. Good finish and a great start for the Hammers.
8 mins - It should come as no surprise, but Arsenal's youngsters all look extremely comfortable in possession. The Gunners preach their pass-and-move style at all levels of the club, and it shows. It is West Ham who create the first chance, though. A super move involving Payne, Wearen and Lee sees the ball worked to Abdulla. He tries to slide in Barrett, but Dixon intercepts and spreads play wide to Ferrari. The Italian's cross eludes the Arsenal defence and bounces across to Lee, whose shot bobbles wide of the far post.
6 mins - The rain has stopped as Spence is clipped by Watt as the pair chase a through ball from Conor Henderson.
5 mins - Abdulla is chasing hard to close down the Arsenal defenders. He will be keen to impress tonight, having played alongside many of his opponents during his time as a schoolboy with the north London club.
3 mins - Nice football from Olly Lee and Ahmed Abdulla looks to set Nicky Barrett away, but the referee pulls play back for a trip on Abdulla. Shame, because the midfielder might have been away there.
2 mins - After keeping the ball for the opening 90 seconds, the Gunners concede a throw-in deep inside the West Ham half.
1 min - Arsenal have early control of possession, but it's all inside their own half so far.
6.59pm - Arsenal's Sanchez Watt and Luke Freeman get us underway a minute early...
6.57pm - Here are the two teams... Looks like West Ham are going to kick down the slope in the opening 45 minutes. Captain Jordan Spence is in the centre circle ready to complete the formalities with opposite number Craig Eastmond.
6.55pm - Must give a bit of praise to the DJ here. He has played some proper tunes during the build-up to tonight's game. The Lightning Seeds' 'The Life of Riley' is the final song to be played before the teams emerge from the tunnel. For those of a certain age, the song was the theme for Match of the Day's Goal of the Month competition. Top class.
6.52pm - Big drama here at Underhill. Arsenal have made a change to their advertised team. No16 is now no longer Rhys Murphy, but Martin Angha.
6.50pm - The two sets of players are heading for their dressing rooms, having completed their warm-up exercises. Substitute Danny Kearns and George Moncur, who is not involved in the matchday 16, are the last two outfield players to leave the pitch. Deniz Mehmet, the Turkey U18 goalkeeper, is still out there in the rain being put through his paces by goalkeeper coach Jerome John.
6.45pm - Well, spring didn't last long, did it? It's cold and miserable here in Barnet this evening. The adverse weather conditions mean there is not much of a crowd here to watch West Ham's second string attempt to gain revenge for Saturday's first-team defeat at the Emirates. At least the heavy rain that has been pouring down on this part of north London for the past hour or two has relented somewhat. For those who haven't visited Underhill, it is a unique stadium, complete with a sloping pitch. Should make for an interesting evening...
Good evening and welcome to a wet and windy Underhill stadium in Barnet.
Alex Dyer has named a young side for West Ham United's Barclays Premier Reserve League South trip to Arsenal.
Of Dyer's starting XI, only goalkeeper Peter Kurucz and midfielder Josh Payne have first-team experience, while five scholars have been named in a youthful lineup.
In a change from the club's usual shape, captain Jordan Spence will form a back-three alongside scholars Sergio Sanchez and Jordan Brown, with Olly Lee and Davide Ferrari providing the width as wing-backs.
Payne will be joined by scholars Eoin Wearen and Nicky Barrett in midfield, with Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Terry Dixon partnering former Arsenal schoolboy Ahmed Abdulla in attack.
For Arsenal, Poland goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will make his first appearance since his two mistakes handed FC Porto a 2-1 first-leg advantage in the Gunners' UEFA Champions League first knockout stage tie.
Arsenal reserves: Fabianski, Coquelin, Evina, Cruise, Miquel, Barazite, Eastmond, Frimpong (Yennaris 86), Henderson, Freeman (Ozyakup 70), Watt (Angha 82)
Subs: Shea, Boateng
West Ham United reserves: Kurucz, Spence, Sanchez, Brown, Lee, Wearen (Kearns 89), Payne, Barrett, Ferrari (McNaughton 75), Abdulla, Dixon
Subs: Mehmet, Subuola, Modelski