Bristol Rovers 1 West Ham Utd 2

  • by Matthew O'Greel
  • Tuesday, 28th August 2007

Two goals from Craig Bellamy ensured the Hammers avoided a potential banana skin aginst League One outfit Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Ground tonight.

Bellamy's brace - his first competitive goals for the club - gave United a 2-0 lead at the break before Rovers pulled one back midway through the second period giving the Hammers - no strangers to cup upsets - a nervous final few minutes.

The £7.5m signing opened the scoring on 31 minutes when he found the net from 25 yards with a fine solo effort.

His second came on the stroke of half-time; a long ball from Lucas Neill sent Bellamy through on goal and the Welsh striker finished cooly into the bottom right corner.

The Hammers had controlled the game for much of the first half, as they did in the second until Andrew Williams reduced the deficit to one on 72 minutes.

Anton Ferdinand was guilty of falling asleep - not for the first time this season - allowing Williams to round him, leaving the Rovers man with a simple finish.

Sadly a good Hammers performance was marred by a serious injury to new signing Kieron Dyer, who is likely to be out until the New Year - at the earliest - after breaking a leg in what appeared to be an innocuous first half challenge.

West Ham United: Wright, Neill, McCartney (Collins 62), Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Mullins, Dyer (Noble 13), Bowyer, Boa Morte, Bellamy (Cole 76), Zamora.

Subs not used: Green, Etherington.

Goals: Bellamy (31, 45).

Bristol Rovers: Phillips, Anthony, Elliott, Carruthers, Jacobsen (Haldane 64), Lescott, Pipe, Campbell, Disley (Igoe 70), Lambert (Williams 64), Walker.

Subs not used: Rigg, Hinton.

Goals: Williams (72).

Booked: Walker (70, dissent).

Referee: M.Jones

Attendance: 10,831

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