
West Ham United 2-1 Middlesbrough
Sunday, 24th May 2009
by Gordon Thrower
Cliché it may be but there is no other way to describe this match other than to say “it had ‘end of season’ written all over it.
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Player Ratings
Robert GreenSolid ?EUR" if rarely tested. If Robinson or Carson get in the England team ahead of him questions need to be asked.

Jonathan Spector
Stuck to his task well without ever looking flustered.

Herita Ilunga
Usual reliable display and played a fine part in the goal.

Lucas Neill
Caught the eye in the centre of defence with a calm performance. The late chip would have been a hellova goal.

Matthew Upson
Another reliable performance from the England man.

Mark Noble
Strong but looked a bit tired ?EUR" a few 3am feeds too many perhaps?

Radoslav Kovac
A couple of half-decent efforts but doesn?EUR(TM)t look worth the transfer fee being suggested at present.

Junior Stanislas
Slightly fortunate for the goal perhaps, but got through a lot of running and deserved his moment of glory.

Luis Boa Morte
Fine match. The confidence is back and the days when his name was booed as a matter of course have, thankfully, long gone. Peach of a pass inside the full-back for the first.

Jack Collison
Young Hammer of the Year, he produced another mature run out that makes him look like he?EUR(TM)s been there for years.

Carlton Cole
Showed what we?EUR(TM)d been missing for the last couple of months. Good finish for the goal.

Substitutes
Kieron Dyer(Replaced Noble, 54 mins) Looked lively when replacing Noble. A good injury-free pre-season and who knows.

Diego Tristan
(Replaced Cole, 63 mins) Possibly his last game in claret & blue. I?EUR(TM)d like to think that with our connections we could find better as back-up for the first choice strikers.

David Di Michele
(Replaced Collison, 72 mins) Same as Tristan really. So long and good luck in court.

Jan Lastuvka
Did not play.

Walter Lopez
Did not play.

Josh Payne
Did not play.

Savio Nsereko
Did not play.

Match Facts
West Ham United: Robert Green, Jonathan Spector, Herita Ilunga, Lucas Neill, Matthew Upson, Mark Noble, Radoslav Kovac, Junior Stanislas, Luis Boa Morte, Jack Collison, Carlton Cole.Goals: Carlton Cole 33 Junior Stanislas 57 .
Booked: None.
Sent off: None.
Middlesbrough: Jones, McMahon, Wheater, Huth, Hoyte, O'Neil, Bates, Arca, Adam Johnson, Tuncay, Emnes.
Subs not used: Turnbull, Shawky, Williams, Grounds.
Goals: O'Neill (49).
Booked: O'Neill.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Howard Webb.
Attendance: 34,007.
Man of the Match: Luis Boa Morte.