STOKE CITY 1 – 1 WEST HAM
Jones 48 Parker 32
Att: 27,028
Hammers Escape Scott Free
What Stoke would do for a midfield general like Scott Parker to go along with the new look line up. Parker covered nearly every blade of grass on his one man mission to secure West Ham their first point of the season.
Parker put the Hammers ahead after a goal mouth scramble from a free kick in the 32nd minute to give Hammers a first half lead. The lead was only short lived as 3 minutes after the break Stoke struck back after good work down the right by Pennant whose cross was met by Jones at the far post to head the Potters level.
With Avram Grant absent from the dugout because religious commitments and in front of the Sky cameras it was set up perfect for the Potters to heap more misery on the pointless West Ham. Both teams started the game cautiously it was Stoke who started to make the better in roads; a Delap throw in 7th minute was met by a miss timed header from Faye. Stokes next best chance was a 25 yard free kick after Walters was fouled by Behrami. Pennant whipped a delicious ball across the face of the goal which was crying out for a touch to prod it goal wards, Shawcross was inches off it but ball bounced through to Green but he flapped and missed it completely and Huth is stretching at the far post but his effort only hits the post.
The first half saw both sides enjoy good spells of possession but to little effect, the first goal came from a free kick on the right after Collins had brought down Behrami. Obinna put the ball across the face of goal from the free kick Delap clears off the line but his clearance hit Shawcross in the face and the ball fell kindly to Parker who tapped it home from a yard out. Stoke re-grouped and from a Delap throw in the 38th minute Jones put his free header over the bar.
Stoke found themselves in familiar territory 1-0 down at half time in front of the cameras. It only took 3 minutes after the restart for Stoke to Draw level, great work from Pennant down the right and his cross was met by Jones who crashed home his header for his 2nd goal in 2 games. Stoke now had the ascendency and straight away pushed on Etherington with a shot which deflected out for a corner. Stoke were well and truly on top and West Ham were there for the taking, Jones was put through down the left he shrugged Upson off as if he wasn’t there got the ball on his right foot and smashed a shot in from a tight angle to which Green redeemed himself for his earlier blunder and tipped Jones effort onto the post. If only Jones had looked up he would have seen Walters screaming for the ball with an empty net in front of him. Despite all of the Stoke pressure it was Parker who still stood out, tirelessly working in the middle of the park.
In the 66th minute Fuller came onto replace an injured Walters who had put another great shift in upfront. Jones then rattled the wood work again 2 minutes later but he was given offside. Gudjohnsen came on for an injured Jones in the 73rd minute but failed to make any impression on the game, he looks well short of match fitness and maybe Tuncay should be ahead of him certainly from Saturdays showing. In the 82nd minute Delap wound up for another throw, he found the run of Fuller whose header crashed off the under side of the bar and out. Another blow for the Potters was the departure of the injured Pennant who was replaced by Whelan.
The game then dwindled out with both teams only managing half chances, a comedy moment in the 87th minute as Green gathered a Delap special only for his kick up field to smack Shawcross on the back of the head and send him crashing to floor. But the skipper was soon back to his feet. The game ended 1-1 with the Hammers leaving the happier after Stoke hitting the woodwork on numerous occasions, Stoke certainly did enough for all three points but they would of took 4 points from the 2 games at the start of the week.
Stoke: Sorensen, Collins, Faye, Shawcross, Huth, Etherington, Whitehead, Delap, Pennant (Whelan 83), Jones (Gudjohnsen 73), Walters (fuller 66)
Subs: Begovic, Higginbotham, Wilkinson, Wilson
West Ham: Green, Gabbidon, Upson, Da Costa, Jacobsen, Noble, Parker, Behrami (Kovac 52), Cole, Obinna (Boa Morte 90), Piquionne
Subs: Stetch, Tomkinson, Barrera, McCarthy, Faubert
Ref: Lee Mason