Chesterfield 1 West Ham United 1
Tuesday, 1st October 2002
by Graeme Howlett
West Ham scraped through to the third round of the Worthington Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout victory against second division Chesterfield.
With the game deadlocked at one each at the end of extra time, the game went into penalties; Mark Allott was the unfortunate one to miss for the home side, and Michael Carrick secured the Hammers passage to the next round with a well struck spot kick to the delight of the Hammers fans behind the goal.However it was another desperately disappointing performance from the Hammers, who could find the net only once despite having over thirty attempts on goal - thanks mainly to some spirited defending from the Spireites.
The Hammers went into the game at full strength, with only Freddie Kanoute missing from the team which enjoyed a 3-2 win over Chelsea at the weekend. He was replaced, as on Saturday, by Jermain Defoe.
And it was the young striker who gave the Hammers an early lead, latching on to an excellent through ball from Seb Schemmel which he dispatched clinically with a low shot past Chesterfield's keeper Carl Muggleton, who was otherwise excellent in denying the Hammers on several occasions throughout the night.
In truth the Hammers should have had the game well wrapped up by the break, but a series of spurned opportunities kept the home side in the game.
Roeder's men paid for their failings in front of goal when half-time substitute Chris Brandon hit the equaliser - with his side's only shot on target the whole night - on 52 minutes. With the Hammers defence caught napping, Brandon was allowed to round David James and chip the ball into an empty net.
The Spireites enjoyed their best spell of the game for the next twenty minutes, enjoying plenty of possession but, like their Premiership counterparts failing to make it counts where it matters most.
The final twenty minutes of normal time saw the home side playing with virtually every man behind the ball, as they continued to frustrate an impotent Hammers attack.
As the game moved into extra time the Hammers continued to pile the pressure on the home side's goal, but with keeper Muggleton outstanding Roeder's men failed to break the deadlock. Gary Breen going closest with a goalbound header from a Di Canio corner being cleared off the line.
So for the second year in a row the Hammers moved into a penalty shootout against second division opposition. Di Canio and Sinclair cancelled out strikes from the home side before the unfortunate Allott sent his shot wide of David James right hand post.
Scott Minto and Steve Lomas both saw their respective spot kicks safely home - although both were lucky to see weak shots evade Muggleton.
Chesterfield converted their final two penalties to leave the Hammers needing to score their final kick to secure the win. It was perhaps inevitable that Michael Carrick, the player at the centre of much controversy of late was cast as potential hero; a task which he completed with much aplomb by slamming home the winning kick, before being collectively embraced by a collection of team mates, fans, and stewards.
The result may have glossed over many cracks in a poor Hammers performance, but was an undeniably deserved victory against a Chesterfield side apparently content to play for penalties from the off. Credit to the Spireites for such a sterling defensive effort - but it certainly had the effect of killing a potentially interesting tie, and the right team deservedly won in the end.
This time last year Glenn Roeder was in deep trouble after losing to Reading, on penalties, at the same stage of the competition. This year the luck appears to be going his way - and as good (or bad) as any team may be, every side needs a little good fortune to help them along the way.
The Hammers now go into Saturday's Premiership clash with Birmingham on the back of two wins; it was Roeder's three wins in a week this time last year that kick started the Hammers' season then - hopefully, history is about to repeat itself.
Player ratings
David James 5 Looked uncomfortable throughout the game, whilst making a couple of real bloopers that could have cost the Hammers dear. There was little he could do about the goal; after covering his net well he appeared to slip, allowing Brandon to score. Certainly not one of his best nights.
Sebastien Schemmel 4 Poor Seb, who cut his hair off at the beginning of the season seems to have a touch of the Samson's since. Last season's KUMB Player of the Year has suffered an alarming drop in form this term, and sadly tonight he was still a shadow of the player we saw last year. On several occasions's he was beaten all too easily on the flank, making a couple of vital mistakes which could have proved costly. The only bright spot was the defence-splitting pass which led to Defoe's goal - but for that his rating may have been even lower.
Scott Minto 7 Another solid performance from Minto, who now appears to be Glenn Roeder's first choice left-back ahead of Nigel Winterburn and Vladimir Labant. Like Schemmel on the other flank, he likes to bomb forward at every available opportunity, but unlike the Frenchman he has been solid defensively too. After three years of fleeting appearances Minto's moment appears to have finally arrived.
Tomas Repka 6 Strong in the tackle and in the air, Repka, like the rest of his defenders had a pretty quiet night thanks to Chesterfield's reticence to attack the Hammers. As has been the case far too often of late he gave away a couple of silly free-kicks - situations which led to a row with captain Paolo Di Canio at the end of 90 minutes, which will no doubt be picked up by the tabloids tomorrow.
Gary Breen 7 Another good performance from Breen, his position at the heart of the defence appears to have added a little resolve to the Hammers back line. But for an excellent save on the line he may well have scored the winning goal, and his first for his new club. Looking better - and more confident - with every performance.
Trevor Sinclair 7 Tricky Trev was at the heart of all the best Hammers moves, enjoying the space conceded by the home side on the right-flank. Playing on that side he appears much more confident; hopefully that will have been duly noted by Glenn Roeder. But restricted to just a couple of snap-shots he rarely looked like scoring his first goal of the season.
Joe Cole 6 Lots of huff and puff from Cole but yet again the end product was missing. Time after time you urged him to take on a defender, but on the majority of occasions he opted instead for the easier route - a sure sign of a lack of confidence. Despite this he had a fair few shots, although once again the majority ended up in row Z. However he still produced the Hammers best opportunity bar the goal when he forced a great save from Muggleton in extra-time.
Steve Lomas 6 Lomas had an up and down evening, winning some good tackles but suffering from poor distribution. He looked a little jaded, especially as the game dragged on.To be fair his role tonight was unfamiliar, being given more space than usual as the home side sat back in order to soak up the pressure. Still a vital part of the first team however.
Michael Carrick 7 With all the much publicised controversy hopefully behind him, Carrick continues to improve after a poor start to the season. Tonight he was excellent in the centre of the park, assisting Steve Lomas ably with the defensive duties making several excellent tackles, belying his stringy frame. He also looked the most threatening Hammer going forward, going close on two occasions. And with the winning penalty under his belt too (which was followed by wonderful scenes celebrating with team mates and fans alike); it looks like young Michael is firmly back to his best. Man of the Match.
Paolo Di Canio 5 Just one of those nights for Saturday's hero. It took Di Canio 95 minutes to register a shot on target (his seventh effort of the game), which just about sums up his evening. He was booked a little harshly for diving in the second half, although it was clear that he stumbled on the wet surface - a fact he acknowledged by waving his hand after hitting the turf, all to no avail.
Jermain Defoe 7 Back in the side following the injury to Freddie Kanoute, how the young striker has taken his chance. Two goals in two games have seen Defoe hit form at just the right time. Tonight's effort was taken superbly, in typical fashion. Notably excluded from the penalty takers - maybe because his missed spot kick sent the Hammers tumbling out last year?
KUMB Stats
West Ham United: James, Schemmel, Minto, Repka, Breen, Lomas, Carrick, Cole, Sinclair, Defoe, Di Canio.
Subs not used: Van Der Gouw, Dailly, Cisse, Garcia, Camara
Chesterfield: Muggleton, Dawson, Blatherwick, Howson, Davies, Booty (Brandon 46), Hudson, Ebdon, Rushbury (Edwards 74), Reeves (Burt 106), Allott.
Subs not used: Howard, Richmond
Goals: Defoe (13), Brandon (52)
Booked: Dawson (23, foul), Di Canio (38, 'diving'), Schemmel (42, 'foul'), Repka (82, foul)
Attendance: 7,102
Referee: A.Hall (6)
KUMB Man of the Match: Michael Carrick (7)
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Substitutes
Match Facts
West Ham United: , , , , , , , , , , .Goals: None.
Booked: None.
Sent off: None.
: .
Subs not used: .
Goals: .
Booked: .
Sent off: None.
Referee: .
Attendance: 0.
Man of the Match: .