CHELSEA v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER RESERVE LEAGUE
WEDNESDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2011
KICK-OFF: 2PM
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Final score - Chelsea reserves 4-3 West Ham United reserves
95 mins - We're still playing but there cannot be more than a few seconds left. West Ham have a throw midway inside the Chelsea half. The ball is played into Barrera and the final whistle blows. Exclusive post-match reaction and highlights will appear on whufc.com and West Ham TV soon.
92 mins - We have a break in play as Phillip is treated for a blow to the head as he challenges McNaughton.
91 mins - We're into the first of at least three added minutes as Tombides goes down the left. He crosses, but the ball ricochets off a defender and back off the substitute and out for a goal kick.
90 mins - Spence tries to pick out the run of Lee, but the ball skips off the turf and out for a goal kick. That was a very difficult pass to complete. It was very straight.
89 mins - Tombides is on for Hines for the time remaining. Can the Australian be a hero?
88 mins - Lalkovic wins a challenge with Montano before cutting inside McNaughton and shooting left-footed, but it's an easy save for Stech.
87 mins - Faubert picks up the ball on halfway and drives forward. Barrera is up to his right but stops his run at the vital moment and Faubert's pass rolls harmlessly through to Hilario.
85 mins - So close to an equaliser for Sears. He plays a fantastic one-two with Edgar before bursting past Pappoe. He shoots but Chalobah gets a toe to the ball and diverts it a yard wide of the near post. The corner finds Spence's head, but it is cleared.
83 mins - West Ham threaten down the right. Barrera crosses and it is close to finding Sears, but Pappoe cuts it out at the last moment.
81 mins - GOAL! Chelsea go ahead for a third time. McEachran plays the ball for Lalkovic, who eludes McNaughton before clipping the ball neatly over the advancing Stech. West Ham have it all to do again.
80 mins - West Ham fancy nicking a win here. Sears, Montano and Hines combine brilliantly down the left before Montano crosses. Sears is in the middle but Chalobah gets there first and when his clearance hits Sears, the ball spins out for a goal kick.
77 mins - GOAL! Hines! Abdulla picks out Sears with a fantastic pass that takes Pappoe completely out of the game. The winger looks up and crosses left-footed for Hines. Chalobah misses the ball and the striker has time to control before gleefully smashing the ball into the net from eight yards. It's all to play for!
76 mins - Good football from Sears and Faubert before the latter crosses towards Hines. Pappoe is there to cut the cross out and smash the ball behind for a corner. Barrera takes the kick and McNaugton rises and heads the ball down and goalwards, but it is blocked and Chelsea clear their lines.
73 mins - Hitzlsperger is replaced by Edgar for the final 20 minutes or so.
72 mins - Before the corner is taken, No12 Adam Phillip replaces Woods.
71 mins - Tore takes the corner and Hitzlsperger volleys clear at the near post. Chelsea attack again down the right and Tore beats Montano before crossing for Djalo, but his shot is deflected behind by Spence. Good defending by the captain.
70 mins - Tore takes on Montano and wins a corner off the defender's studs. The ball comes over from Woods but it's cleared. Chelsea come again through Lalkovic and Spence is forced to slide the ball behind.
68 mins - So close to a clear opening for Sears, who brings the ball forward and plays a one-two with Hines before Chalobah intervenes. The ball appears to strike the defender's hand and Hines appeals. He must have said something wrong because he is booked for his protest.
65 mins - Chelsea make a second substitution, with Borini being replaced by Djalo.
64 mins - Montano crosses low to Sears, whose shot is blocked byChalobah. The ball breaks to Hitzlsperger, but he screws his left-foot volley well wide.
62 mins - Chelsea are going to make a second change shortly. At present, the Blues are controlling the game, playing the ball around confidently in midfield. West Ham are working hard, though, and aren't out of this game yet by any means.
59 mins - Abdulla is booked for a challenge on Woods that leaves the Chelsea No8 needing treatment. West Ham need to hang in there because at 3-2, they always have a chance of nicking a draw at least.
58 mins - GOAL! Borini scores again, this time with a measured low right-foot drive into the bottom left-hand corner from about 20 yards. That's a hat-trick for the No9.
57 mins - Wally Downes is on the touchline with Kevin Keen. Will the two coaches decide to make a second change soon? Dylan Tombides has been in good goal-scoring form recently
55 mins - GOAL! Borini shows immense cool to chip the penalty down the middle of the goal as Stech dives to his right. The scores are level again.
54 mins - Borini loses Spence inside the area and the defender slips and catches the forward. The referee gives a penalty.
53 mins - Barrera bursts past new right-back Clifford and Pappoe before crossing towards Montano but his touch lets him down.
50 mins - Lalkovic runs at Montano and looks to have the beating of the Colombian, only for the left-back to stick out a long leg and take the ball away. Lalkovic pulls the No3's shirt and West Ham have a free-kick. Excellent defending.
47 mins - Wow! Lalkovic gets down the right and crosses. Woods is unmarked at the far post and shoots but Stech makes a brilliant save. The ball rebounds to Woods and he has a simple task, only for Spence to get back and hack his second effort off the line. Chelsea think the ball has crossed the line but, following a chat between the officials, nothing is given. West Ham keep their lead.
46 mins - Chelsea kick-off and it looks like West Ham have gone to a 4-5-1 formation. Hines is up front, with Abdulla joining Hitzlsperger and Lee in the centre of midfield.
Chelsea make a half-time change, bringing on Deen-Conteh for Bertrand, while West Ham replace McCarthy with Ahmed Abdulla.
Half-time score - Chelsea reserves 1-2 West Ham United reserves
48 mins - Stech clears the ball long and the half-time whistle is blown.
46 mins - GOAL! Into added-time and Barrera whips in a dangerous free-kick that Hilario does well to hold. Chelsea try to play their way out and Lee wins possession back wide on the right. He feeds the ball inside to Sears, who goes at Bertrand before shooting low. The ball takes a slight nick off Bertrand and flies between Hilario and his near post. The Hammers lead!
45 mins - Pappoe brings down Hines and West Ham have a chance to deliver some quality into the box as half-time approaches.
41 mins - That's a fantastic chance for the lively Tore, who gets in behind the West Ham defence and has a shooting chance from 12 yards. Stech comes out to narrow the angle and the No7 slots the ball wide of the far post.
39 mins - Spence commits a foul about 30 yards out. McEachran floats over the free-kick and Montano does well to clear.
35 mins - A chance for a second for the Hammers. Hitzlsperger crosses and Chalobah's header drops to Sears about 22 yards out. He swings his right foot at the ball and it flies high and wide.
33 mins - GOAL! McCarthy equalises. Barrera had been fouled inside the West Ham half. McNaughton's free-kick caught out Sala and allowed Barrera to streak away down the left wing. He crosses with the outside of his right foot and it drops perfectly on to the right foot of McCarthy and he slams the ball low into the net from eight yards.
31 mins - Borini takes the free-kick Ronaldo-style and it dips menacingly towards the top corner before Stech tips is over. The corner comes over and Barrera glances it as far as Woods, who volleys well over.
30 mins - Borini finds Tore in the inside-left channel. He runs McNaughton across the face of the penalty area before shooting left-footed straight at Stech. Chelsea come again seconds later and Spence fouls Lalkovic 25 yards out.
28 mins - Woods slips a pass to Bertrand, whose clever turn loses the attentions of Faubert and makes for the by-line. The left-back crosses but the ball flicks off the heel of a defender before Montano clears to Lee.
26 mins - Lee picks out Sears but his cross is deflected behind for a corner. Barrera's right-wing delivery is too deep and sails over McNaughton's head and out for a throw to the home side.
24 mins - Chalobah plays the ball wide left to Bertrand, who takes on Sears and crosses, but the ball flies into the side-netting.
22 mins - Sala breaks clear down the right and tries to pick out Borini in the middle. Spence gets his foot in the way before coming away and bring fouled by the Italian striker.
19 mins - Hitzlsperger spreads play wide to the left wing where Barrera speeds past Sala and crosses but Pappoe is there to head clear. West Ham keep up the pressure but Barrera's second attempt to get around his defender ends with the Mexican being eased out. Goal kick.
18 mins - A first booking of the game and it is Chalobah who goes into the book. McCarthy reacted quickest to a loose ball, poking it past the defender before being brought down. Hitzlsperger takes the free-kick from out wide on the right, but it is headed clear.
16 mins - West Ham attack and a nice touch from McCarthy gives Hines some space, but Chalobah quickly closes him down and Chelsea clear. The Blues counter-attack and Stech has to be out off his line quickly to smother at the feet of Tore. The goal has given Chelsea a boost and they are pressing high up the pitch.
15 mins - Montano is penalised for pulling back Clifford about 30 yards from goal. Tore fancies taking the free-kick left-footed, but his curling effort flies a mile over the crossbar into the netting behind the goal.
12 mins - GOAL! Hitzlsperger's pass is cut out in midfielder by McEachran. He comes forward before feeding Borini, who makes no mistake from 18 yards, finishing low into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. Stech had no chance with that.
10 mins - Sala is back on! Hitzlsperger tries to pick out Sears with a raking 50-yard cross-field pass, but left-back Bertrand wins the header and Chalobah is able to lay the ball back to goalkeeper Hilario.
9 mins - Before the corner is taken, Chelsea need the physio on for right-back Jacopo Sala, who looks like he might need to be replaced. Tore crosses and Faubert heads clear.
8 mins - McEachran plays a superb pass between Faubert and Spence for Lalkovic. He controls but is forced wide by the right-back before crossing and winning a corner off the Frenchman. Lovely pass from McEachran, that.
6 mins - Chelsea are employing a 4-3-3 formation with Borini and Lalkovic supporting central striker Tore. West Ham are lined up in a similar shape, with Hines and Sears behind McCarthy.
5 mins - Borini nicks possession on halfway and brings the ball forward before finding Woods. Spence gets across and toes the ball out for a corner, which is wasted.
3 mins - Lalkovic again, cutting inside and shooting right-footed. It takes a nick off a defender and goes wide for a corner. Tore crosses and Spence heads powerfully clear
2 mins - Chelsea come forward down their left and Lalkovic crosses from wide. Clifford is challenged by McNaughton as he controls on his chest and the ball loops behind for a goal kick.
1 min - West Ham threaten almost immediately, building from the back before Sears shoots but his shot is charged down on the edge of the area.
2pm - The two captains meet for a pre-match coin toss and the usual handshakes before West Ham kick-off.
1.55pm - The two teams emerge from the dressing rooms for this afternoon's match. West Ham have plenty of players who will want to prove themselves ahead of Monday's FA Cup fifth-round visit of Burnley. Benni McCarthy is eligible for that match, as it does not fall within the restrictions of the Premier League's 25-man squad rules. It is a bright and sunny day here and the pitch looks in superb condition. If West Ham play as well as they did a week ago, they will pick up another three points this afternoon.
1.45pm - The two teams are warming up on the pristine playing surface here at Cobham. Chelsea's training ground really is something special. Today's match is being played in the Academy and Community area of the complex, which is separate from the first-team sector.
Good afternoon and welcome to Cobham for this afternoon's Barclays Premier Reserve League fixture between Chelsea and West Ham United.
The Hammers have brought a strong squad to Surrey as they seek to build on last week's impressive 4-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion. No fewer than nine players with first-team experience are named in the starting XI, with five of them being full internationals.
Marek Stech returns from Czech Republic Under-21 duty to start in goal, with Julien Faubert and Cristian Montano filling the full-back berths. Jordan Spence and Callum McNaughton will form the heart of the defence. In front of them, Freddie Sears and Pablo Barrera will play wide, with Olly Lee and Thomas Hitzlsperger (pictured) in the middle, while Zavon Hines will partner Benni McCarthy up front.
Hitzlsperger makes his second reserve-team start following his return from six months on the sidelines with a thigh injury and the German, along with the likes of Faubert, Spence, Sears, Barrera and Hines, will be hoping to impress manager Avram Grant ahead of Monday's FA Cup fifth-round visit of Burnley.
West Ham will be keen to win this afternoon, having been defeated 2-1 in the reverse fixture at Bishop's Stortford FC on 24 November. Hines put the Hammers ahead before the Blues struck back through Jacob Mellis and Aliyu Djalo to take the three points back to west London.
The two teams go into Wednesday's game level on 14 points in the Barclays Premier Reserve League Southern division, but victory for the Hammers would lift them above West Bromwich Albion into third, complete with three games in-hand on the Baggies.
Chelsea reserves: Hilario, Sala, Pappoe, Chalobah, Bertrand (Deen-Conteh 46), McEachran, Tore, Woods (Phillip 72), Clifford, Borini (Djalo 65), Lalkovic
Subs not used: Sebek, Kane
West Ham United reserves: Stech, Faubert, Montano, Spence, McNaughton, Sears, Lee, Hitzlsperger (Edgar 73), Barrera, Hines (Tombides 89), McCarthy (Abdulla 46)
Subs not used: Mehmet, Craig