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| West Ham United 1 Swansea City 1 |
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WELSH teams are making a habit of embarrassing West Ham United in the third round of the FA Cup. Two years ago Wrexham won at Upton Park, and yesterday Swansea City came within three minutes of emulating that feat.
The club from the Nationwide Third Division first frustrated the Hammers, then came very close to finishing them off. Only Shaka Hislop's save prevented Stuart Roberts from adding to Jason Smith's opening goal.
Then Julian Dicks struck an 87th-minute equaliser that was greeted with a massive sigh of relief from around Upton Park and lifted a weight off the players' shoulders. |
| Roberts tussles with Lazardis | "When it comes to games like this, we seem to find it difficult," said Harry Redknapp, the West Ham manager. "They defended well and we weren't very bright up front." |
John Hollins, his Swansea counterpart, said: "We have a group of very disappointed players. They felt they deserved to win. I'm proud of all of them, but there's no sense of elation in our dressing room."
Hollins also promised West Ham an even harder contest in the replay. "We were so close. They are a Premiership side and I thought we were a little unfortunate," he said.
Swansea grew more confident the longer West Ham went without scoring. Roger Freestone saved twice from Trevor Sinclair, and by half-time the Hammers' anxiety was apparent.
Smith and Martin Bound stopped the West Ham midfield supplying Ian Wright and John Hartson up front, while Roberts and Jonathan Coates began to threaten as Swansea pushed forward. After 61 minutes, West Ham's worst fears became reality. Roberts skipped past Steve Potts and delivered a pinpoint cross for Smith to head beyond Hislop.
Redknapp responded by replacing Eyal Berkovic with 17-year-old Joe Cole, who was making his senior debut. The move was a clear indication of West Ham's desperation. Hartson, against the club he supported as a boy, was the next to be substituted.
Freestone was then called on to palm over Stan Lazaridis's curling shot, but at the other end only Hislop's acrobatic leap stopped Roberts from killing off the tie, in Swansea's favour. It was a crucial save. With time running out, Dicks unleashed a hopeful 30-yard shot. The ball squirmed under Freestone's dive and the Hammers had escaped.
"Freestone has been a saviour for us all season - but he is choked about that goal," Hollins said. "He must have seen it late through a group of players, but I can't fault any of my lads for effort or ability. I am just proud that they belong to me.
"They played for the supporters. We have tremendous support from very passionate people," he added. "We defended very well and now West Ham have to come to us, and it will be some night at the Vetch Field."
The other bad news for Hollins is that Redknapp expects to have Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard ready for the replay.
West Ham United: Hislop, Ruddock, Pearce, Dicks, Sinclair, Potts, Lomas, Lazaridis (Omoyinmi 82min), Berkovic (Cole 65min), Wright, Hartson (Abou 70min).
Swansea City: Freestone, S Jones, Smith, Bound, Howarth, Coates, Cusack, Thomas, Roberts, Alsop, Watkin.
Scorers: West Ham United: Dicks 87
Swansea City: Smith 61
Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley)
Attendance: 26,039
A GOAL six minutes from time by Julian Dicks, his first for nearly two years, saved West Ham from an embarrassing exit to Swansea.
Jason Smith's goal after an hour looked to have sealed an unlikely victory for John Hollins' impressive side until the intervention of Dicks.
Harry Redknapp had sent on all his substitutes, including Joe Cole, 17, for his debut, in a desperate attempt to avoid another giant-killing act at Upton Park. Two years ago, West Ham were knocked out of the Cup against Wrexham.
West Ham were without Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard, enabling Neil Ruddock and Steve Potts to return.
Ruddock and Dicks were the early targets for a determined Swansea side. After being on the end of some crude challenges within the opening minutes, they were warning their opponents off with customary grace.
Swansea certainly did not waste any time going about their task. Buoyed on by 3,000 travelling fans, the Division Three side dominated for long periods of the first half and kept Ian Wright and John Hartson quiet.
Hartson, Swansea born and bred, was given a rousing reception by both sets of fans. The West Ham supporters were otherwise rarely heard, one exception coming 10 minutes before half-time when Wright was fouled on the edge of the penalty area.
Ruddock charged 100 yards to join in an unseemly ruck and was booked, while all hell broke loose around him. The resulting free kick by Eyal Berkovic appeared to hit an arm as the home side called for a penalty.
Scuffles continued in the second half, peace breaking out long enough for Smith to score. Stuart Robert's cross found the unmarked player, whose header easily beat Shaka Hislop.
Berkovic soon made way for Cole, and the England youth international immediately made an impression. However it was left to Dicks to force a replay with a low drive that inexplicably slipped under Roger Freestone.
It was particularly cruel on the former Chelsea keeper who had been immaculate throughout and had produced a brilliant save from Stan Lazaridis just minutes earlier.
Hislop had then produced an equally good save from Roberts to keep West Ham in with a chance.
JULIAN DICKS proved he's soccer's answer to Arnold Schwarzenegger as he terminated Swansea's hopes of a third round giant killing. Just like the Hollywood star, he's nicknamed after, Dicks vowed: "I'll be back."
It follows the serious knee ligament trouble that cost him almost two years of his career, and saw him written off in many quarters. A jubilant Dicks said: "I've been written off so many times but every time I come back. And each time I'm written off I get Man of the Match.
"How many times do I have to prove to people that I can play and that I can come back? I've proved all the doubters wrong. I just love playing, and I'm going to play to the end of my contract next year."
Dicks scored his 61st goal in his 312th Hammers appearance. He also collected his third Man of the Match award in his last five outings.
He added: "Every goal is important and to score the winner is brilliant, but to get the one which is the equaliser is the best feeling. I can't wait for the replay."
And how West Ham fans were grateful to their cult hero. He fired in the late leveller which prevented City from adding their name to the list of lower-ranked teams who have embarrassingly bundled the Hammers out of knockout competitions in recent years.
There were just three minutes left when the mid-table Third Division side, deservedly in front through centre back Smith's 61st-minute header, were stunned by that man Dicks.
The 30-year-old defender, who only returned to action in September after surgery, cracked in a low 25-yard drive with that trusty left peg.
It took a deflection as it slipped under heroic keeper Freestone's body, but Dicks and the home supporters won't mind.
Relieved West Ham boss Harry Redknapp said: "It was a handy late goal from Julian because it gets us a replay. He doesn't train much and there's a problem with his movement but on the ball he's not a problem, and his actual passing is still good."
Dicks, despite any physical problems, continues to give his all, and how that was needed against a more-than-useful City outfit who belied their 73 places below a European-chasing Hammers side.
In the last decade, West Ham have been held by non-League Farnborough in the FA Cup, been knocked out by Grimsby and then Wrexham in the Third Round two years ago, and then pushed all the way by non-League Emley at the same stage at Upton Park last term.
As for those embarrassing reverses against Stockport, in the League Cup and by Second Division Northampton in the Worthington Cup - as recently as September - it's no wonder Redknapp was so delighted with another chance.
He revealed: "On Friday night I knew it was going to be a tough game - you just get that feeling, it's always the same with us.
"We have got as good a home record as any team in the country this season, but when it comes to games like this, for some reason we seem to find it very difficult.
"I'm not surprised at how well Swansea played. They're well organised, solid and have some good players, and their front two were always a threat.
"I wasn't happy with our general performance.
"We found it hard to pass and didn't create that many chances - the replay is certainly going to be a tough game." Swansea's confidence grew as they more than comfortably held West Ham in the opening exchanges, although a 35th-minute flare-up - started by Smith's crunching tackle on Wright - was totally against the spirit of the match, earning Smith and Ruddock bookings.
City keeper Freestone did well to defy Sinclair twice, and then Lazaridis, before the plucky Welsh side grabbed a deserved opener. Tricky youngster Roberts went round Potts to chip invitingly for Smith - a bargain £10,000 signing from non-League Tiverton at the start of the season.
And he gleefully head home in front of the visiting fans. West Ham threw on their three substitutes, including a senior debut for 17-year-old Cole as they frantically searched for an equaliser.
That came from Dicks, although Hammers keeper Hislop prevented a crucial Swansea second six minutes earlier with a flying save from Roberts. Swansea manager John Hollins said: "My players are very disappointed because they felt they should have won.
"Freestone has been a saviour for us all season, and he is choked by their goal - but I could not fault any of them for the effort or ability, and I'm proud they belong to me.
"People thought we were coming here to be turned over, but we weren't. We had a plan and we surprised West Ham.
"Now they have got to come to the Vetch Field, and that's going to be very interesting.
"It's going to be a tremendous night and there's going to be more Swansea people there.
"And West Ham will know they have been in a game."
Man of the Match: Julian Dicks ... grit and resolve and that crucial goal.
WEST HAM: Hislop 7 - Pearce 6, Ruddock 6, *DICKS 8 - Sinclair 6, Lomas 5, Potts 6, Berkovic 5, Lazaridis 6 - Hartson 5, Wright 6. Subs: Cole 6, Omoyimni 5, Abou 5.
SWANSEA: Freestone 7 - Jones 7, *SMITH 8, Bound 7, Howard 6 - Roberts 7, Thomas 7, Cusack 7, Coates 7 - Watkin 6, Alsop 6. Click here to go back to start page if not using frames