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West Ham broke a valiant Stockport County right at the end, Craig Dawson’s header prevented overtime and gave David Moyes’ team the right to face Doncaster Rovers at home in the fourth round.
The center’s rise in the rain, meeting Jarrod Bowen’s center from a crowd of players, epitomized a close draw on a swampy surface that could have gone either way.
On loan from Watford, it was Dawson’s first goal at West Ham. The 30-year-old was born in Rochdale and his career began at Radcliffe FC, just a few miles from here in Greater Manchester.
“It was difficult tonight,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve played in conditions like this, but it’s great to get a goal at the end. The goal was something we worked on in training. The guys did a great turn and it was a great clean sheet. Stockport is doing very well in their league and it’s not easy to get to these fields so tonight is a great performance from the guys. “
Stockport found this loss hard to swallow and it’s understandable: Jim Gannon’s team’s refusal to bow to the finish was in keeping with a good-action weekend of the FA Cup, and could have earned them at least 30 more minutes.
“The players are disappointed, but I think it’s a testament to how they played,” Gannon said. “West Ham had a lot of possession, but the guys did really well. They gave us the opportunity to get a goal and possibly win the game with the opportunities we had. It was always a stretch for us, but the performance showed that we are above this level. [National League]. “
Declan Rice was the standout player, a midfielder whose box-to-box contribution ensured the Hammers’ attitude was just right. It was the man from England who created the first opportunity: a strong touch that brought an opportunity to skate right and cross. Saïd Benrahma’s skill took him into space and his shot cut through Ben Hinchliffe’s left post.
At 15 minutes, a volley of fireworks was fired off the field behind Darren Randolph’s goal, prompting referee Mike Dean to pause the game, and the game resumed with entertaining pace and quality flashes.
Andriy Yarmolenko came in and attempted a needle-eye pass to Michail Antonio which was intercepted. Then Manuel Lanzini took flight and Hinchliffe grabbed the ball gratefully. Stockport center-backs Jordan Keane and Liam Hogan were finding Antonio a handful. The latter was again the target with a high ball and Keane got in the way. Antonio appeared to be finally in when West Ham attacked again, but Mark Kitching stepped in from the left side and got the boot on the ball.
Fast guide
Kengni de Marine returns to daily work with Bale and company
On Sunday, Neil Kengni gave Tottenham a scare when his shot hit the crossbar in the 20th minute of Marine’s FA Cup tie. On Monday he attended a Zoom health and safety tutorial for his plumbing apprenticeship course from his home in Manchester.
Kengni, 20, said he was still assimilating his moment in the limelight, describing it as “a little surreal” playing against some of the best players in the world whom he would normally spend weekends watching on television. He recounts chatting with Dele Alli and Lucas Moura, describing them as “sound boys”.
The eighth-level club player says he’s “gutted” because his shot didn’t go in, as he repeats the moment over and over. “I think I hit him too high.” He hopes the Marines players will continue to make everyone proud, despite the eventual 5-0 loss to the Spurs, adding, “We kept going until the last minute.”
Kengni’s family moved from Cameroon to the UK when he was 10 years old and settled in Wythenshawe, the famous home of United’s Marcus Rashford, another of his heroes. “Watching him grow through football to become one of the best players in the world is incredible. And hopefully, in God’s hands, I can do the same. “So Kengni hopes to follow in his footsteps?
“Yes,” he says, “I hope to be a professional soccer player … and hopefully still, you know, get my plumbing degree.”
Maya Wolfe-Robinson
The visitors dominated the first half but lacked the killer touch. It meant Stockport was still firmly on him and the vocal Gannon (barely stopped for breath) had something to work with for the second half.
When the teams resumed, the heavens opened as they had before kick-off. The surface was getting heavier and the question was: would that help Stockport? The initial answer was no when West Ham claimed a corner. But again they did not capitalize.
Now Stockport forced a free throw, but John Rooney threw it directly at Randolph. The field had become almost unplayable: the players and the ball were trapped in the divots. A West Ham attack was blocked that way, and as the hour mark passed, it had turned into a battle of who wanted to progress further.
Rice tried to show the way forward for West Ham with a surge from near the middle that scattered blue jerseys around him before he was finally displaced in the Stockport penalty area.
The prospect of a smash and grab blow from Gannon’s men remained: Lois Maynard hoped to do just that, but it was Rice, again, who intervened, this time in her own area. For Moyes, there may have been satisfaction in the application if not in the execution of his players. The coach watched Dawson block a Connor Jennings hammer, then Lanzini lazily gave up possession – West Ham night, so far, in a microcosm.
The tie squeaky entered the later time. A mistake can be joyful for one side and distress for the other. Gannon attempted to swap his focal point, Alex Reid, for Richard Bennett, while, for the final stages, Moyes replaced Ben Johnson with Aaron Cresswell. Then came Dawson’s belated intervention.
