ASTON VILLA RESERVES v WEST HAM UNITED RESERVES
BARCLAYS PREMIER RESERVE LEAGUE
MONDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2010
KICK-OFF: 7PM
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Final score - Aston Villa reserves 0-0 West Ham United reserves
Full time - There have been loads of plusses tonight. The back four and goalkeeper have been rarely troubled. Fanimo has impressed on his debut at this level and Hines has made a welcome return from injury. Stech clears the ball upfield and the final whistle is blown. Honours even, but West Ham perhaps deserved more than a point for their efforts. VIlla, don't forget, are top of the table and the three-time defending league champions. This was a decent result and an even better performance from Dyer's side. (photograph courtesy of Neville Williams)
94 mins - Drennan gets a clear shooting chance on his left foot, but he drives his shot well wide of the far post.
93 mins - West Ham are finishing strongly. Lletget shoots low and the ball spins off a defender and inches wide of the post. Fanimo crosses from the resulting corner and Reid wins the header, but it loops into the hands of Marshall.
92 mins - Nouble gets in behind Baker again, but again his cross is too close to Marshall. Seconds later, there is a real talking point as Hines beats Berry and goes to ground inside the box. He wants a penalty, but the referee gives nothing.
91 mins - The fourth officisl still hasn't put his board up to tell us how much added time... As I type, he raises the board. We're going to have a minimum of four more minutes.
90 mins - Nouble battles with two defenders and keeps the ball before crossing, but Marshall is there to claim. West Ham win the ball back again and Hines finds Fanimo, but again his cross is too close to the goalkeeper.
89 mins - Lletget spreads play wide right to Spence, who takes a touch and crosses into the box. Hines gets his head to the ball, but it flies wide of the far post.
88 mins - Hines and Nouble combine before the latter bursts past Berry and crosses left-footed. The ball hits Lowry and goes behind. Fanimo takes the corner, but it's cleared at the near post. Villa break and Wearen brings down Johnson. The Irish midfielder is shown the yellow card.
86 mins - Fanimo's corner is headed towards goal by Reid, but a Villa defender blocks the bal and the home side survive again. Brown wins a throw, allowing Villa to replace Cameron with Ellis Deeney.
84 mins - Baker pulls up and West Ham go on the attack. Lletget draws the defender before finding Nouble, whose shot is goalbound but parried aside by Marshall at the near post. Corner to the Hammers. First, Baker has the physio on.
83 mins - Brown brings the ball forward before being stopped in his tracks by Herd, who is booked.
80 mins - Hines himself takes the free-kick. He gets it up and down over the wall, but too close to Marshall, who gathers.
79 mins - Great stuff from Hines, who picks the ball up 25 yards out and beats Baker before being felled by Lowry about a yard outside the penalty area.
78 mins - Lee picks up possession about 30 yards out and turns past Johnson, but his left-foot shot slices wide of the target from 20 yards. Unlucky.
77 mins - Faubert is the man replaced as Lletget enters the fray.
76 mins - Johnson gets in behind Spence and crosses towards Drennan, but Reid blocks the ball behind. The corner is only half-cleared and Villa come again. The ball falls to Burke, whose low shot is held by Stech diving low down.
75 mins - West Ham are getting another youngster ready in the shape of Sebastian Lletget.
73 mins - Burke replaces Osbourne, while Drennan comes in for Taylor. Cameron curls a free-kick into the box and Reid heads clear.
72 mins - Villa are going to make a double change in a second. Graham Burke and Irish wonderkid - so I am told - Michael Drennan are the boys to come on.
70 mins - Nouble holds the ball up well before Hines is brought down by Osbourne. Free-kick to the Hammers about 25 yards out. Faubert to take... He curls the ball over, but a Villa defender heads clear.
69 mins - Hines is involved again and West Ham win a free-kick deep inside the Villa half through Faubert. The Frenchman crosses and Spence tries to win the header, but again Villa scramble the ball away to safety.
66 mins - Nouble gets to the byline and pulls the ball back into the box with his left foot. It looks as if the ball will roll into the path of Hines, but Williams gets a foot in and clears.
65 mins - Wearen tries to pick out Hines with a high through ball, but it bounces to Marshall.
64 mins - Johnson runs at and past Eyjolfsson before forcing the goalkeeper into an acrobatic save with a well-struck left foot shot from the angle.
63 mins - Hines has been on the pitch about 20 seconds when he goes into a challenge with Herd. Same old Zavon!
62 mins - Lee drives the free-kick low from at least 30 yards and Marshall does well to dive low to his left and push the ball around the post. The corner is cleared and Brown concedes a throw. The break in play sees Hines replace Montano.
59 mins - Zavon Hines is getting himself ready to come on. The forward hasn't played a first-team game since 5 December 2009, when the Hammers were defeated 4-0 at home by Manchester United. Hines, of course, scored the last-gasp winner against Villa in the Barclays Premier League on 4 November last year. Back on the pitch, Osbourne is booked for a late tackle midway inside the Villa half.
58 mins - This is an opportunity for Villa. Reid fouls Carruthers about three yards outside the penalty area in a central position. It looks to favour Cameron's left foot, but Herd instead takes with his right and his low shot flies well wide of the post.
57 mins - Wearen finds Lee in midfield. He tries to thread a pass through for Fanimo, but it's just too strong and Marshall is out to gather. The clear-cut chances have been hard to come by since the break.
54 mins - There are a few familiar faces in the crowd tonight - Chris Powell, Colin Calderwood and Steve Stone are among those in attendance. To be fair, it isn't that hard to spot them as the attendance tonight is quite small.
53 mins - Montano comes to the touchline again and has a few words with Alex Dyer before heading back on to the pitch again.
51 mins - Carruthers goes in for a tackle on Fanimo and the winger limps away gingerly. Seconds later, the same Villa player leaves Montano in a heap on the turf. Again, the tackle looked fair, but Montano looks in a bit of pain again. He's certainly been in the wars in the last few moments, has the West Ham No10.
50 mins - Sure enough, Montano is soon back on the pitch. Hines is sent out to warm up along the touchline as a precaution.
49 mins - Herd gets in a strong but fair challenge on Montano that leaves the forward on the turf. He needs the physio on, but I think he'll be OK to oontinue.
48 mins - Villa attack down with a long ball down their left, but Eyjolfsson cleans up and clears the ball on to the roof of the stand opposite us.
46 mins - Literally 12 seconds into the half a long punt forward from Eyjolfsson is won by Nouble and the ball drops to Montano. He dribbles into the box and shoots, but slices his shot wide of the goal.
The two teams are back out on the pitch following their half-time oranges. No change from either manager as yet. Nouble and Montano will get the second half underway.
Half-time score - Aston Villa reserves 0-0 West Ham United reserves
47 mins - Into the final minute of the half and it's still honours even. West Ham have had the best chance of the game so far thought Nouble, but goalkeeper Andy Marshall was equal to the striker's low shot. At the other end, Osbourne's header over the crossbar is the closest Villa have come to scoring. The half-time whistle is blown.
45 mins - We're going to have at least two added minutes...
44 mins - A loose clearance from Reid falls straight to Cameron, who cuts inside on to his favoured left foot and flashes a cross-shot a few yards past Stech's far post.
43 mins - Wearen is fouled about 40 yards from goal. Faubert fires the free-kick into the box, but Fanimo cannot control and Villa again hack the ball upfield.
42 mins - `Reid finds Brown rampaging down the left with a 40-yard pass. The left-back crosses, but Lowry is again in the right place to head clear of his lines.
39 mins - Faubert and Fanimo have switched flanks and both are involved as West Ham press for an opening. Faubert beats Berry to the byline, but his left-footed cross is cut out by Lowry inside the six-yard box.
38 mins - Faubert smashes in the free-kick, but it hits the wall and goes behind for another corner.
36 mins - Brown needs the physio on after a heavy challenge deep in the Villa half. He is back on as Montano wins a corner. The initial kick is headed clear, as is Faubert's follow up cross. The ball is worked to the winger again and he is fouled, though.
34 mins - Stech catches a high ball and immediately bowls it out to Faubert. The No7 picks out Nouble's run and then follows up to collect a return pass. Faubert crosses to the far post where Fanimo swings his right leg at the ball and completely misses it. Unlucky.
33 mins - Baker catches Lee with a late tackle. Referee McLaughlin shows the left-back a yellow card for his troubles.
31 mins - That is a fantastic chance for Nouble. Wearen sends through a perfectly-weighted through ball for the striker. Nouble gets clear and is one on one with Marshall, but his shot is close enough for the veteran goalkeeper to dive low to his right and palm the ball aside. Lowry completes the clearance.
30 mins - Johnson beats Spence to the byline and sends over a cross, but it's too close to Stech and the goalkeeper catches in front of his face.
26 mins - Faubert is everywhere at the moment. He is fouled by Cameron before picking himself up and sending over a dangerous free-kick. It is headed clear but only towards Fanimo, whose right-foot shot is blocked on the edge of the box.
24 mins - Faubert almost becomes a provider at the other end, hacking the ball high into the air and towards his own goal. Taylor beats Reid to the loose ball, but his volley from 18 yards flies over the wall behind the goal.
22 mins - Faubert comes forward again and looks well set to shoot. He instead tries to pass to Montano. The ball is half-cleared to Fanimo, whose low drive from 25 yards hits Lowry.
21 mins - That's a great chance for Faubert. A cross from the left eludes both Montano and Nouble as well as Villa's centre-backs. Faubert takes a touch and could shoot with his right foot before choosing to cut inside and is challenged well by Baker.
20 mins - Montano tries to charge down Lowry's clearance but gets there a split-second too late. He is spoken to by the referee Matt McLaughlin, but no action is taken.
17 mins - I was tempting fate. Cameron feeds Johnson, whose cross eludes everyone and arrives at Carruthers' feet at the far post. He stands the ball up, but Osbourne can only loop his header over the top from six yards.
16 mins - Carruthers and Johnson combine before the former crosses to the near post, where Wearen is able to volley the ball clear.
15 mins - Villa do come forward for virtually the first time and Carruthers is fouled by Brown just outside the penalty area. Cameron curls the ball over left-footed and Reid heads behind for a corner.
14 mins - It is tempting fate but it's been all West Ham so far. Eyjolfsson and Reid and goalkeeper Stech have had next to nothing to do.
12 mins - Wearen puts in a strong challenge and the ball breaks to Montano, but his attempted through-ball for Nouble is cut out.
11 mins - Brown and Fanimo are combining really well together. The left-back finds the winger again and his cross is half-cleared to Faubert, but the Frenchman's shot is off-target.
10 mins - Faubert cuts inside two Villa players and crosses low, but the ball is cut out. Villa try to break, but Eyjolfsson is alert to the danger and gets in in front of Connor Taylor.
8 mins - Spence is caught in possession and concedes a free-kick. He delays the taking of the set play and gets a quick talking to from the referee.
6 mins - It really is bitterly cold out there, as you can see from the steam coming from each player's mouth as they breathe. Faubert tries to thread the ball through for Montano, who wins a corner off Herd. Fanimo curls the ball in and, after a bit of pinball, Nouble is penalised for pulling back a defender.
4 mins - Fsubert intercepts a pass in midfield and clips the ball over the top for Nouble. The No9 heads the ball down for Montano, whose first-time left-foot shot bounces a couple of yards wide.
3 mins - Lovely football as Wearen spreads the play to Brown. He swaps passes with Fanimo before sending the winger clear down the channel, but his cross is cut out by Shane Lowry.
2 mins - Positive start from the visitors and a first reserve-team touch for Fanimo, who completes a pass back to Jordan Brown.
1 min - West Ham attack from the off and Wearen wins a header in midfield, but Montano is well offside. He was coming back after chasing a long ball, so can't be blamed.
7.01pm - Villa kick-off...
6.59pm - Here come the two teams. West Ham are in white shirts, light blue shorts and light blue socks. Villa are in their home kit of claret and blue shirts, white shorts and claret socks.
6.55pm - Villa are without most of the players who helped them to win the league last season, but I am told left-back Nathan Baker is one to watch. It's a big night, of course, for Matthias Fanimo, who makes his first start at this level. For those not aware of Fanimo, he is an exciting left winger with an eye for goal. A regular starter for both West Ham's U18s and England's U17 side, senior football will be a new test for the youngster.
6.50pm - It is a dark, crisp and very cold evening here in Leicestershire. Both sets of players have just completed their pre-match warm ups - and they need to warm up properly tonight, I can assure you - and are returning to their dressing rooms.
Good evening and welcome to De Montfort Park, the home of Hinckley United FC, for this evening's Barclays Premier Reserve League fixture between Aston Villa and West Ham United.
The big news tonight is the return from injury of Zavon Hines. The England Under-21 striker has been out all year since undergoing knee surgery and is among the substitutes this evening.
Hines will watch a starting XI that includes Marek Stech, Winston Reid, Julien Faubert and Frank Nouble. England U17 winger Matthias Fanimo is handed his reserve-team debut.
Villa are the three-time defending South Division champions and are again setting the pace at the top of the table. However, a number of their reserve-team regulars featured in Saturday's Barclays Premier League draw with Manchester United.
Aston Villa reserves: Marshall, Berry, Baker, Herd, Lowry, Williams, Carruthers, Osbourne (Burke 73), Cameron (Deeney 86), Taylor (Drennan 73), Johnson
Subs not used: Parish, Halfhuid
West Ham United reserves: Stech, Spence, Reid, Eyjolfsson, Brown, Faubert (Lletget 77), Lee, Wearen, Fanimo, Nouble, Montano (Hines 62)
Subs not used: Cowler, McNaughton, Sanchez