Chelsea Reserves 2 v West Ham Reserves 0

[DavidEU 2,023]

Match chat here.

Edited September 18, 2008 by EskWeston

[DavidEU 2,023]

Chelsea's reserve team begins its home league season tonight (Monday) against the reserves of Gianfranco Zola's new employers, West Ham United. It's a match that will be broadcast live on Chelsea TV.

The Chelsea players are fresh from an impressive away win at Arsenal in their opening game, a match that featured Didier Drogba.

Tonight's game is at Brentford's Griffin Park with a 7pm kick-off. Admission is £5 for adults, £3 for oaps/juvs, free to season ticket holders.

[EskWeston 696]

Should be a good game, the games against West Ham are always a decent affair. Hopefully we will play as well as we did against Arsenal.

[EskWeston 696]

A well-oiled all-round team performance has kicked off the reserve team's home season at Brentford with a Michael Woods opener followed by a marvellous goal from Scott Sinclair. Sinclair was the sole first team squad member on duty, no-one of the stature of Didier Drogba given a run out as at Arsenal two weeks ago, but in a game between two sides well-matched in age, there was plenty for manager Brendan Rodgers to be pleased about.

West Ham, without the presence of their new first team manager Gianfranco Zola and with only a couple of genuine efforts on goal were thankful for some moments of solid individual defending for keeping the score down, especially early in the game.

After Chelsea pressure right from kick-off, a difficult chance came on five minutes from a Carl Magnay cross but on the volley beyond the far post, Jacob Mellis could not make sufficient contact to turn the ball goalwards.

West Ham full-back Joe Widdowson was booked soon after for a crunching foul on Morten Nielsen just outside the area but Stoch's free-kick effort was straight into the wall.

On 13 minutes, Chelsea attacked down the right with Sinclair's tight control allowing him to find the space to pick out Mellis. Seemingly certain to score, it took full-back Ashley Miller's sliding block to keep the Blues midfielder from putting his side ahead.

The openings continued to flow. On 20 minutes Sinclair broke clear after a bouncing ball caught the Hammers flat-footed but although his pace kept him ahead of the chasing pack, the England Under 19 international could not find a way beyond Jan Lastuvka in the visitors' goal.

When Sinclair and Mellis combined on the break six minutes later, this time the last defender was left trailing in the latter's wake, but from an angle, the Mellis shot lacked direction and flew across goal.

On 28 minutes, West Ham had their first shot on-target. From long-range and off the boot of Josh Payne, it was turned round the post by Rhys Taylor.

The Chelsea players were looking at their best when driving forward from deep with quick movement of the ball. It was from such an attack down the centre that Mellis worked the keeper on the stroke of half-time.

Within five minutes of the restart, Sinclair turned onto a ball and shot from 12 yards, the keeper's outstretched leg keeping it out.

Mellis, found by Magnay who was again acquitting himself well in his less familiar left-back role, fired a shot past the far post.

That was the last action before he was joined in midfield, by Michael Woods, a 57^th minute replacement for Sergio Tejera. It took just two minute for Woods to make an impact, volleying in a cross at the same far post after West Ham had laboured over clearing their lines.

Eight minutes later the score was doubled by a goal from the Sinclair's solo special collection. His dribble cut straight through the heart of the Hammers back line, beyond two players before keeping cool to slot the ball just inside the post.

Centre-forward Morten Nielsen had a shot saved before being substituted with quarter-of-an-hour remaining and a rare West Ham effort then came from a corner, centre-back Holmer Eyjolfsson heading straight at Taylor.

The visitors also had vague hopes of a penalty as Woods and Tony Stokes wrestled each other in the area as the game drew to a close, but this second win out of two for Brendan Rodgers's side never looked in doubt.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Rhys Taylor; Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Jeffrey Bruma, Michael Mancienne, Carl Magnay; Jacob Mellis (Ricardo Fernandes 54), Liam Bridcutt ©, Sergio Tejera (Michael Woods.57); Scott Sinclair, Morten Nielsen (Fabio Ferreira 74), Miroslav Stoch.

West Ham (4-4-2): Jan Lastuvka; Ashley Miller, Holmar Eyjolfsson, Bondz Ngala, Joe Widdowson (Ryan O'Neill 74); Anthony Edgar (Daniel Kearns 80), Joshua Payne (Oliver Lee 74), Tom Harvey, Junior Stanislas; Tony Stokes, Freddie Sears.

Source: Chelsea FC

[EskWeston 696]

The scoreline to this game should have been a lot higher in truth. We had so many good chances to score but time and time again we failed to take them. West Ham were not the most adventurous team for us to play and sat very very deep without making too much effort to attack. Which for a reserve game i thought was rather poor.

But in general it was a very good game, excellant goal by Sinclair.

Highlights should be up by tommorow night.

[Elliott 7]

Note that that report didn't actually contain the score and you had to read through it to work it out!

I made it 2-0 to our boys.

[EskWeston 696]

Note that that report didn't actually contain the score and you had to read through it to work it out!

I made it 2-0 to our boys.

Lol, your right, it didn't mention the score And yes it was 2 - 0 to us.

One dissapointing aspect from the game was that for whatever reason Sergio Tejera was not on form and didn't seem up for the game. Which is unusual. I really want to see Sergio push on this season because he is a quality player.

[EskWeston 696]

Highlights:

Edited September 18, 2008 by EskWeston