NEWS CHANNEL
MK DONS 0
WEST HAM UNITED 2
Pre-season friendly
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| West Ham and England keeper Robert Green punches clear as MK Dons pressurise in the first half |
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TWO second half goals saw MK Dons fall to a pre-season defeat at the hands of West Ham United at stadiummk on Wednesday night.
The Premier League outfit netted twice in 15 minutes through substitutes Julien Faubert and Carlton Cole to maintain their 100 per cent record in pre-season.
When the two sides met in a friendly in 2007 it was the Dons who were victors by the odd goal in a five goal thriller.
But on this occasion West Ham, lifted by a mass of changes in the second half, proved too strong for Karl Robinson’s men.
Dons more than held their own against their top flight opposition, and despite the defeat Dons boss Robinson will have taken plenty of confidence from a decent outing by his side.
Dons named a near-full strength side with Dean Lewington skippering the side, Jermaine Easter and Sam Baldock leading the attack, and Peter Leven and Dietmar Hamann in midfield.
West Ham welcomed Robert Green, heckled a few times following his his fumble at the World Cup against USA, back in goal, while Scott Parker, Matthew Upson and Alessandro Diamantri all started for Avram Grant.
There was a steady build up about both side’s play in the early phases as they became familiar with the slick surface as well as the formations - Dons operating in a 4-4-2 and the Hammers a 4-3-3.
In fact, it took ten minutes for the first real effort to be registered, and that was only due to some sloppy defending from the Dons.
The backline stood static as Parker, subject of a rejected bid by Tottenham Hotspur, threaded the ball through for Junior Stanslas whose shot-come-cross was well cut out by Sean O’Hanlon. And from the resulting corner Danny Gabbidon saw a bullet header fly over.
With little coming in the way of goal mouth opportunities Alessandro Diamanti tried his luck from the halfway line, but his left-footed lob fell well wide.
The Dons were patient in their want to play football on the floor, and it almost paid off when some lovely interplay which involved Leven and Hamann in midfield, Stephen Gleeson pushing forward from right back and Luke Chadwick sailing down the right flank.
However, when Chadwick’s cross came in an awaiting Easter failed to make the connection the movement in the build up had deserved.
West Ham were lacking a clinical finish up front which prevented them from opening the scoring.
Again, the Dons’ defence was caught out by a ball through the middle, this time from Milton Caraglio, which found the feet of Anis Ben-Hatira.
As Ben-Hatira made his way inside the box Dons’ Gueret failed to take the ball at his feet, but when the West Ham man shot from an acute angle Gleeson was on hand to clear the danger.
The Dons’ best chance to take the lead came just before the half-hour-mark when Easter, dropping deep to collect the ball, let fly from 25-years only to watch Green pull off a wonderful save to prevent the Welshman’s right-footed strike reaching the top corner.
Minutes before the break the Hammers once again had an opportunity pass them by in front of goal when Radoslav Kovac rose above everyone else in the Dons’ box to nod Stanslas’ inswinging corner over the bar.
The half-time interval brought changes from both sides with Aaron Wilbraham replacing Hamann in midfield, and Danny Woodards slotting in at centreback in place of Mathias Doumbe.
Jonathan Spector was introduced by the Hammers for Upson, who completed his first 45 minutes of pre-season for the Premier League side
West Ham began the second half in a more dominant fashion, yet it was the Dons who went close to scoring when Easter’s header on to Chadwick’s cross went just wide.
But at the other end Lewington was tested by the run of Diamanti whose eventual shot dragged off target, while Ben-Hatira wasted a glorious chance on the counterattack by failing to test Gueret.
The Dons were under pressure and when Adam Chicksen replaced O’Hanlon the youngster almost played the Dons into danger.
Chicksen didn’t get the touch on Stanslas’ shot that he would have liked and left Gueret under pressure to collected a looping ball, which he did with ease.
The Hammers then made a raft of changes bringing on Carlton Cole, Benni McCarthy, Julien Faubert, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Fredric Piquionne, Mark Noble and Herita Illunga in one go.
And the fresh set of legs worked wonders for West Ham as Cole proved to be a nuicance from his first touch with his pace and physical presence proving too much for the Dons.
When Cole found his way through the Dons defence he caused havoc, and Chicksen was unable to keep track of Faubert as he proded home at the far post to give West Ham the lead with 20 minutes remaining.
A reply almost came in the form of a darting header from Woodards, but the defender sailed inches wide of the post.
The introduction of Jabo Ibehre almost worked wonders for the Dons when the strong forward still managed to lash a fierce drive from distance, although off target, as he was brought to the floor by Illunga.
Cole finished the game off with a wonderful move that saw the Hammers go from defending to attacking in an instant.
The forward showed his raw pace and a clean set of heels as he emphatically struck beyond Gueret to earn the Hammers a 2-0 win.
MK DONS: Gueret, Gleeson (Flanagan 82), Lewington (c), O’Hanlon (Chicksen 61), Doumbe (Woodards 45), Chadwick (Guy 67), Hamann (Wilbraham 45), Leven (Howell 83), Balanta, Baldock (Ibehre 72), Easter (Carrington 78).
WEST HAM UNITED: Green, Upson (Spector 45), Gabbidon, Tomkins, Daprela (Illunga 64), Parker (Noble 64), Kovac (Faubert 64), Diamanti (Hitzlsperger 64), Stanslas (McCarthy 64), Ben-Hatira (Boa Morte 64), Caraglio (Cole 64).
Goals: Faubert 70, Cole 85
Referee: Dean Whitestone (Northants)
Attendance: 12,230
