Alex Shilling at Goldsands Stadium
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West Ham notched up their third consecutive victory of pre season yesterday afternoon against Bournemouth at a sun-drenched Goldsands Stadium for Stephen Purches' testimonial.
The outing against the newly-promoted Cherries, who started ex Hammer Elliot Ward, was Big Sam's men biggest test of their pre season campaign so far, having barely been tested in a 6-2 romp over Cork City last Saturday and a routine 3-0 win over Boreham Wood on Tuesday night.
The game got off to a lively start and the home centre half Cook committed the cardinal footballing sin by passing the ball across his own penalty area and almost presented Vaz Te with a clear run at goal, but fortunately for the Cherries, new signing Ian Harte was on hand to tidy up.
Bournemouth won promotion from League One last season with free-flowing, lucid attacking football under Eddie Howe, enjoying his second spell in charge of the club and were not short of attacking intent and Lewis Grabban tested Jaaskelainen with a fierce drive after 2 minutes, while Winston Reid did well to block a Brett Pitman snapshot a couple of minutes later.
The deadlock was eventually broken after a period of sustained pressure by the Irons and near misses from Rat and Vaz Te, when a pinpoint Demel cross from the right was headed home by skipper Nolan- sportingly applauded by the home fans as well as the Hammers in the Bournemouth end.
West Ham then began to gain control of the game and Matt Jarvis was unlucky not to double the Irons' advantage with a curling shot from the edge of the area, while Nolan's audacious attempt to chip Flahavan from 30 yards didn't quite pull off, before the captain went on to rattle the bar with another header.
Of slight concern for the away support however was the threat posed by the constant high crosses from the Cherries' flanks, and the fact that Winston Reid and James Collins were struggling to deal with the onslaught. One such teasing cross from the left by Arter caught the Hammers napping at the back and Grabban was unlucky not to find the net, with Pitman also going close with a looping header a few minutes later.
Also of concern for the Hammers was the performance of Ricardo Vaz Te. In many senses, the Portuguese' first half performance was a typical RVT performance- peripheral with the odd flash of genius. Keeper Jaaskelainen took the glass half empty approach to his teammate's showing and I could clearly hear him repeatedly bellowing 'move!!!' at Vaz Te from my seat level with the Bournemouth penalty area in the first half.
The Irons kept up the pressure and on the stroke of half time, the game's first real flashpoint came. A great through ball from Noble sent Collison and Maiga away, but both seemingly offside. The Cherries' fans certainly thought so and, after Collison rounded Flahavan before doubling the East London side's advantage, did not applaud the second goal the way they had the first.
West Ham made just the one change at the break, Joey O'Brien entering the fray in place of Demel and a defensive slip immediately presented the home side with a chance to halve the deficit but substitute Thomas scuffed his shot well wide of the right upright.
Trialist Orlando Engelaar entered the fray for the Irons on 52 minutes. The powerfully built 33 year old starred for Holland in Euro 2008 but has been without a club since leaving Dutch giants PSV at the end of last season. Engelaar, wearing number 15, showed some decent touches and could take care of himself in the midfield.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce used the extended substitutes bench to its full capacity and introduced Ravel Morrison, James Tomkins, Dan Potts, Matty Taylor, Joe Cole, Mohammed Diame and Alou Diarra on the hour mark. Most pleasing was the appearance of Diame, given the speculation currently linking the Senegal international with a move to Premier League rivals Everton.
The remaining half hour saw many more substitutions for both sides, notably appearances for ex Spurs and England midfielder Darren Anderton, greeted by a rousing chorus of 'we hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham, we are the Tottenham haters' by the travelling Irons and Bournemouth legend Steve Fletcher. Grabban went close again for the Cherries, as did Maiga for West Ham and the game slowed to a fitness exercise for both teams- standard pre season stuff.
Another good win for the Hammers, who look stronger with each game they play. Their next test will be a trip to Essex to take on Colchester United on Tuesday night.
LINE UPS
Bournemouth: Flahavan, Francis (Addison '74), Ward (Fogden '74), Cook (Anderton '82), Harte, McDonald (S. Purches '67), Arter, McDermott (Fletcher '85), Pitman, Fraser (Matthews '59, (J. Purches, '87), Grabban (Stockley '74).
Substitutes: Jalal, Fogden, Elphick, Addison, Daniels, Matthews, S. Purches, Stockley, Thomas, Anderton, Fletcher, J. Purches.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel (O'Brien '45), Reid (Diame '61), Collins (Potts '61), Rat (Cole '61), Jarvis (Morrison '61), Nolan (Engelaar '51), Noble, (Taylor '61) Collison (Tomkins '61), Maiga (McCallum, 81), Vaz Te (Diarra '61).
Substitutes: Adrian, O'Brien, Tomkins, Potts, Taylor, Diame, Diarra, Engelaar, Cole, McCallum, Morrison, Whitehead, Lletget.
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