A Mitchell Cole XI featuring six West Ham players beat a Stevenage Borough 7-4 tonight at Broadhall Way in a benefit match for former Irons youth player and Stevenage favourite Mitchell Cole.
More than 2,000 fans turned up to see a high scoring encounter that saw Hammers stars Mark Noble, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Nolan, James Collins and Andy Carroll all find the back of the net before taking their leave at half time, as agreed before the match.
West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, Mitchell's brother-in-law, thanked his teammates for turning out to play and declared that the match was a fitting send-off for a man who the Hammers' number 26 says could have been a fine Premier League player, were it not for his health issues.
"I would like to thank all the fans who turned up, my teammates and everyone at Stevenage Football Club," Cole told whufc.com.
"It is a long season and there were some big names out there tonight. We all had a good night and raised a lot of money for charity, which is the main thing. I didn't manage to score, but I will save that for the weekend!"
The former England star was full of praise for Cole's ability as a player before he sadly passed away aged just 27, and said: "anyone who worked with him will tell you that Mitchell had a great left foot- his ability was unquestioned. He was diagnosed with a heart condition at 15 so affected him from a young age. If he hadn't had it, he would have made a top Premier League player."
"He had a decent career in the lower leagues but he was doing it in second gear because he couldn't push his body as much as he wanted to. He had a good career, he was a good family man and a good fella. We all loved him and it was great to see such a send-off for him."
All proceeds from the match will go to the Cardiomyopathy Association.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
Showing posts with label James Collins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Collins. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Monday, 6 May 2013
Collins content with clean sheet in 'hard' game
West Ham defender James Collins has told whufc.com that he is happy with his side's performance against Newcastle on Saturday- and the clean sheet to go with it.
The Welsh international stated that although the game "had that end-of-season feel to it," he felt that the Irons' performance merited the point they earned.
"To get through that [the game] and not concede, we're very happy with. In the second half we were a lot better and we were unlucky not to get a goal," Collins said.
"Newcastle are a tough, physical side like ourselves and we knew it was going to be a hard game.. we're just happy [Papiss Cisse's shot that was cleared off the line by Winston Reid] that was the only real chance they had in the game."
On next Saturday's trip to Everton, the former Villa cruncher was equally as stoical.
"They're a side that's full of internationals and have a great squad- it'll be a tough game because they're having one of the best seasons they've had for a long while.. if we can keep playing the way we have then I'm confident we can get a decent result there."
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
The Welsh international stated that although the game "had that end-of-season feel to it," he felt that the Irons' performance merited the point they earned.
"To get through that [the game] and not concede, we're very happy with. In the second half we were a lot better and we were unlucky not to get a goal," Collins said.
"Newcastle are a tough, physical side like ourselves and we knew it was going to be a hard game.. we're just happy [Papiss Cisse's shot that was cleared off the line by Winston Reid] that was the only real chance they had in the game."
On next Saturday's trip to Everton, the former Villa cruncher was equally as stoical.
"They're a side that's full of internationals and have a great squad- it'll be a tough game because they're having one of the best seasons they've had for a long while.. if we can keep playing the way we have then I'm confident we can get a decent result there."
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
Friday, 3 May 2013
Hammers stars to turn out for Mitchell Cole benefit match
This Tuesday night, League One side Stevenage Borough will be hosting a benefit game for their former player, Mitchell Cole, the brother-in-law of West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, and several Irons players have agreed to play in the game at Broadhall Way. Cole began his footballing career at Upton Park and so the match has a special resonance for Hammers fans.
Cole's West Ham teammates Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis, James Collins and Andy Carroll will all be representing the Mitchell Cole XI which will take on a Stevenage XI on Tuesday night. The match is in memory of Stevenage favourite Cole, who passed away last December aged 27, having retired from professional football the previous year owing to a serious heart condition.
All the news about the match can be followed on Twitter via the hashtag #matchformitch.
Tickets are priced £10 for adults and £5 for U18s, with all proceeds going to the Cardiomyopathy Association. Kick off is at 7pm.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
Cole's West Ham teammates Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis, James Collins and Andy Carroll will all be representing the Mitchell Cole XI which will take on a Stevenage XI on Tuesday night. The match is in memory of Stevenage favourite Cole, who passed away last December aged 27, having retired from professional football the previous year owing to a serious heart condition.
All the news about the match can be followed on Twitter via the hashtag #matchformitch.
Tickets are priced £10 for adults and £5 for U18s, with all proceeds going to the Cardiomyopathy Association. Kick off is at 7pm.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
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