Newcastle achieved a comfortable win in The Youth Cup.
West Ham United 0-3 Newcastle United
The FA Youth Cup sponsored by E.ON
Fourth Round Proper
7pm, Wednesday 3 February 2010
The Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, West Ham United FC
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After a tentative start Newcastle United’s youngsters scored after 14 minutes and went on to win this Fifth Round tie comfortably. In the quarter-finals they will play at home to Hull City or Crystal Palace, whose tie was postponed last night.
Hammers were enterprising in attack in the opening minutes, Cristian Montano and England U17 cap Robert Hall linking up well as they had done in the last round against Queens Park Rangers. With left-back and skipper Jordan Brown pushing up to support Ahmed Abdulla, plenty of crosses were being fired in as the home side looked particularly dangerous down the left flank.
It was against the run of play when the Magpies took the lead. Ryan McGorrigan speared a left-wing corner into the near-post area and as centre-back Jeffrey Henderson flicked the ball forward from close range, a combination of ‘keeper and defender seemed to block the effort and clear it away. But referee Davies ruled that the ball had just crossed the line.
The visitors had two chances to increase their lead close to half-time, Greg McDermott’s blast from eight yards striking the top of the bar and Philip Airey’s header missing the right-hand post by inches. Then two Newcastle goals in three minutes early in the second period, on 50 and 52, more or less secured their place in the last eight.
Airey sprinted through the middle, defenders in his wake, before side-footing past the advancing Peter Loveday and Bradden Inman, an Australian, hit a low shot into the left-hand corner from the edge of the ‘D’ as the defence backed off. McDermott should have made it 4-0 moments later, but Hammers steadied the ship after that and might have scored a couple near the end.
George Moncur’s free-kick on 82 minutes slapped against the face of the bar and four minutes after that, a handball gave them a spot-kick. After a lengthy delay for a grounded Montano to receive treatment, Magpies ‘keeper Jak Alnwick blocked Eoin Wearen’s feeble kick with his left foot. That was a cue for most of the crowd to file out of the West Stand.
West Ham United: Peter Loveday, Filip Modelski, Jordan Brown, Sergio Sanchez, Paco Craig, George Moncur, Dominic Vose (Blair Turgott), Eoin Wearen, Cristian Montano (Danny Purdy), Robert Hall, Ahmed Abdulla
Newcastle United: Jak Alnwick, James Tavernier, Paul Dummett, Greg McDermott, Jeffrey Henderson, Stephen Folan, Patrick Nzuzi, Bradden Inman, Philip Airey, Conor Newton, Ryan McGorrigan (Samuel Adjei)
Attendance: 1,157
