Southend Utd v West Ham

Southend United v West Ham United
Pre-season match
Roots Hall
Saturday 14 July
Kick-off: 3pm


Southend United v West Ham United

1.55pm - As usual, we have a gallery of exclusive images from today's game fir you to view and comment about on the official Facebook site!

1.50pm - A few unfamiliar names on the squad list today. Rob Girdlestone, Nathan Mavilla, Amos Nasha and Kieran Bywater are all first-year scholars who have joined the Academy on a full-time basis this season. Elliot Lee is a second-year scholar and was top scorer in the Under-18s last term.

1.45pm - OK, well the Hammers are here and the weather appears to be relenting, which is good news. I also have the West Ham team news for you! Here you go:

West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Spence, Reid, McCartney, Potts, Noble, Nolan, Taylor, Hall, Vaz Te, Maynard
Subs: Guzman, Demel, O'Neil, Morrison, Baldock, Girdlestone, Mavilla, Cullen, Nasha, Bywater, E.Lee

1.25pm - Well, I can safely say that this is not the most glorious of days to be beside the seaside! It is absolutely bucketing it down with rain here in Southend. The skies are a little brighter to the west so I'm crossing my fingers that it will clear up before kick-off at 3pm. The Shrimpers are expecting a bumper crowd of around 8,000 for their first pre-season friendly, so let's hope the weather doesn't put too many people off.

Good afternoon and welcome to Roots Hall for today's pre-season fixture between Southend United and West Ham United.

The Hammers have been regular visitors to the Essex resort in recent seasons, with their most-recent trip down the A13 taking place in August 2010, when recent EURO 2012 runner-up Alessandro Diamanti scored in a 1-1 draw.

In competitive matches, despite the close geographical proximity of the two clubs, Southend and West Ham have met just once in the past 17 years - Marlon Harewood scoring both goals in a 2-0 League Cup second-round win at the Boleyn Ground in August 2004 in a game that Mark Noble appeared in as a substitute.

The pair's most-recent competitive meeting at Roots Hall was way back in April 1993, when the Shrimpers ran out 1-0 winners in the old Division One.

Today's game marks the Hammers' third pre-season outing following a 3-1 defeat at FK Austria Wien a week ago and a 1-1 draw at Blue Square Bet South side Boreham Wood on Tuesday evening. For Southend, this is their first match since being eliminated from the npower League Two Play-Offs by Crewe Alexandra back in May.

Sam Allardyce has brought a 22-man squad to Roots Hall, with a mixture of youth and experience included. Alongside established senior players, Big Sam has also selected a number of young professionals, who will no doubt benefit from the experience of preparing alongside the likes of Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble.

The team news should be available by 2pm, with live text commentary on the game itself to start at 3pm
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What has happened to Stephen Henderson? Injured? He was not involved against Boreham Wood and is not involved today. I think Carlton Cole is injured

22 mins Maynard was left unmarked and headed Taylor's right wing corner in to the roof of the net from close range. 0-1

34 mins Spence charged down the right wing and thundered a long range shot in to the bottom left hand corner of the net. 0-2

Half Time

64 mins Lee's low shot was parried out by Smith and Baldock chipped home the rebound 0-3

Attendance: 7,135 with 2,824 from West Ham

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Southend United 0, West Ham United 3

4:58pm Saturday 14th July 2012 in Sport By Chris Phillips

SOUTHEND United’s pre season campaign started with a 3-0 defeat against West Ham United at a soaking wet Roots Hall this afternoon.

Goals from Nicky Maynard, Jordan Spence and Sean Baldock earned the Hammers a comfortable win in front of more than 7,000 fans.

And the visitors were on top right from the start of the game.

After just two minutes, Kevin Nolan’s close range effort was ruled out for offside beforeRicardo Vaz Te’s neat near post flick from Matt Taylor’s right wing corner was tipped wide of the target by Blues’ trialist goalkeeper Rhys Taylor.

The Southend shot-stopper then did well to smother a long range shot from Taylor before the former Rotherham keeper denied the winger again with a solid stop low down to his right hand side.

But, with 22 minutes on the clock, the Hammers finally made their pressure count as Taylor’s right wing corner picked out an unmarked Maynard and the striker thundered a header in to the roof of the net from close range.

West Ham did not stop there though and doubled their lead in the 34th minuite when Spence charged down the right flank and unleashed a powerful long range shot in to the bottom left hand corner of the net.


Blues made 10 changes during the interval with only Kane Ferdinand remaining on the field from the first half.

However, it was West Ham who continued to long periods of posession and the visitors made it 3-0 in the 64th minute, with Baldock working his way on to the score-sheet.

The former MK Dons forward reacted quickly to Southend’s second half goalkeeper Phil Smith failing to hold a low 20 yard shot from Elliot Lee and chipped the rebound in to the back of the North Bank net.

That killed off any remaining hopes of a Blues fightback and the biggest crowd of the day from the home fans came when Freddy Eastwood replaced trialist Joe Yoffe in attack with nine minutes remaining.

But, just seconds after the returning striker’s arrival, the game was held up for around five minutes following a nasty clash of heads between Mark Phillips and Dan Potts.

The latter of those players was stretchered off while Phillips also had to be withdrawn, leaving Southend with just 10 men for the closing stages.

Southend United first half: Taylor, Clohessy, Cresswell, Barker, Straker, Hurst, Gbirsson, Ferdinand, Sealy, Tomlin, Harris

Second half: Smith, Leonard, Coughlan, Phillips, Prosser, Hall, Ferdinand (Woodyard 76), Folly, Martin, Benyon, Yoffe (Eastwood 82) Sub not used: Bentley

West Ham United: Jaaskelianen, Spence (Demel 60), Reid, McCartney (Nasha 60), Potts, Nolan (Morrison 60), Noble (Bywater 60), Taylor, Maynard (Baldock 46), Vaz Te (Lee 60), Hall (O’Neil 33) Attendance: 7, 135