Saturday 7th August 2004 - The Championship
Leicester City 0 West Ham United 0

Veteran Teddy Sheringham has been the Hammers main scoring threat

Goals: none

Booked: Brevett

Sent Off: Brevett

Attendance: 30,231

FootyMAD report (www.westhamutd-mad.co.uk):

“Dion Dublin's Leicester City debut was embroiled in controversy after he was shown a straight red card for violent conduct.

His dismissal came on 17 minutes, but West Ham failed to exploit their advantage and were themselves reduced to ten men when Rufus Brevett was show a second yellow card five minutes from the end.

City started brightly with French midfielder Lilian Nalis striking the bar from 20 yards.

But on 17 minutes Dublin was dismissed after kicking out at Brevett. The West Ham full-back earned a yellow card after squaring up to the veteran striker.

West Ham sought to exploit the home side's indiscipline and went close on 25 minutes when Ian Walker diverted a Marlon Harewood shot into the path of Matthew Etherington, who shot narrowly wide from eight yards.

After the break Walker again saved Leicester when he dived to block a Harewood shot and then scrambled across his goal to prevent Teddy Sheringham sweeping the loose ball home.

David Connolly was denied on the hour mark by the brilliant one-handed save by Stephen Bywater.

Then on 70 minutes Connolly almost scored against his old club with an 18-yard effort which flew narrowly wide.

West Ham were themselves reduced to ten men five minutes from the end when Brevett was shown a second yellow card for a two-footed tackle on James Scowcroft.

Then deep in stoppage time West Ham squandered a great chance to nick it, as Bobby Zamora headed over from close range with just the keeper to beat.”

Tuesday 10th August 2004 - The Championship
West Ham United 1 Reading 0

West Ham United: Stephen Bywater; Thomas Repka, Christian Dailly, Chris Cohen, Andy Melville (Anton Ferdinand 61); Nigel Reo-Coker, Hayden Mullins, Matthew Etherington, Sergei Rebrov (Luke Chadwick 76); Teddy Sheringham, Marlon Harewood (Bobby Zamora 71). Subs not used: James Walker, Adam Nowland.

Goal: Sheringham 81

Booked: Dailly, Reo-Coker, Zamora

Attendance: 26,242

FootyMAD report (www.westhamutd-mad.co.uk):

“Teddy Sheringham combined with his former Man Utd team-mate Luke Chadwick to score on his Upton Park debut and give West Ham a 1-0 win against Reading.

The result also provided Hammers boss Alan Pardew a satisfying victory against the club he walked out on to take over at the London outfit a year ago.

While the Hammers had only managed a goalless draw at Leicester City on the opening day of the Coca-Cola Championship campaign, Reading had got off to a fizzing start in their thrilling 3-2 win over Brighton.

And their second match equally looked set to yield goals aplenty, too, as both sides went on the offensive from the very first whistle.

Indeed, Andy Hughes wastefully scooped over inside 15 seconds while, at the other end, Marlon Harewood over-elaborated with just Royals keeper Marcus Hahnemann to beat, before strike partner Sheringham's glancing third-minute header drifted inches wide.

But although this end-to-end encounter may have been enthralling both the shirt-sleeved East End crowd and a live TV audience, it was rapidly becoming a defensive coach's nightmare.

Next up, Harewood scuffed wide after again finding himself eye-to-eye with the Reading keeper and Hayden Mullins twice missed by inches, before Dave Kitson, Nicky Forster and Steve Sidwell replied, forcing the alert Stephen Bywater into making crucial saves with close-range shots.

On 44 minutes, Harewood should have finally broken the deadlock but his point-blank volley cannoned back to him off Hahnemann and the rebound flew wide as the opening half somehow remained goalless.

Still the defensive deficiencies were only matched by the striking shortcomings in an equally cavalier second period.

The wasteful Harewood soon found himself firing far too close to the Reading keeper, before then ignoring the escaping Sergei Rebrov as he ghosted free.

Back in the West Ham penalty area, Hughes followed up his costly 15-second miss by slicing another close-range effort wide, while Kitson sent his point-blank 64th-minute effort straight into the relieved Bywater's clutches.

As the clocked ticked down, Bobby Zamora replaced the disgruntled, goal-shy Harewood while, more tellingly, Rebrov stepped down in favour of debutant Chadwick.

On 82 minutes, the former Manchester United starlet swept the ball back from the by-line for his ex-Old Trafford team-mate - making his 800th club appearance - to finally sweep home that priceless winner from six yards.”

Sunday 15th August 2004 - The Championship
West Ham United 1 Wigan Athletic 3

West Ham United: Stephen Bywater; Thomas Repka, Anton Ferdinand, Rufus Brevett (Chris Cohen 83), Andy Melville; Sergei Rebrov (Luke Chadwick 45), Nigel Reo-Coker, Hayden Mullins, Matthew Etherington; Teddy Sheringham, Marlon Harewood (Bobby Zamora 45). Subs not used: James Walker, Adam Nowland.

Goal: Zamora 69

Booked: none

Attendance: 23,271

FootyMAD report (www.westhamutd-mad.co.uk):

“Nathan Ellington's double-barrelled blast fired Wigan to the top of the Championship as Paul Jewell's side went some way towards exacting revenge for last season's play-off heartbreak, upon a distinctly woeful West Ham side.

Having endured the agony of the Hammers' late, late equaliser at the JJB Stadium that toppled them from the play-off spots in the final minute of the final game of last season, livewire Wigan came to Upton Park clearly looking for retribution.

It took the unbeaten Latics just five minutes to get their noses in front when Ellington met Gary Teale's right-wing cross with a well placed, ten-yard header which squeezed between the diving Stephen Bywater and the left post.

That was the first goal the hitherto undefeated Eastenders had conceded this term, but on 12 minutes it could have got even worse when Wigan skipper Matt Jackson sent a firm header into the Hammers' keeper's ribcage.

Shortly afterwards, the alert Bywater had to frantically back-pedal to nod Tomas Repka's over-zealous backpass off his own goal-line and, as the half-hour mark approached, Teale volleyed just wide from 12 yards, before Jason Roberts skied over.

In reply, with the Hammers posing negligible threat, Wigan keeper John Filan merely basked in the Sunday sun as Nigel Reo-Coker sent a rising 20-yarder over while Sergei Rebrov – again isolated on the right wing – totally missed his kick on a rare foray into the box.

When Jason Roberts seized on Andy Melville's 45th-minute mistake, to burst clear from halfway, round the exposed Bywater and double Wigan's advantage, the home side deservedly departed to predictable half-time jeers of 'What a load of rubbish.'

In a bid to stem the one-way traffic, both Bobby Zamora and Luke Chadwick were introduced for the restart as Rebrov and the anonymous Marlon Harewood stood down.

But their arrivals had little effect....

For, after 58 minutes, it was game over as Teale delivered another inch-perfect right-wing cross to the far post where Ellington rose highest to beat two defenders and powerfully nod Wigan into an unassailable three-goal lead.

Midway through the second half, the tenacity of Nigel Reo-Coker enabled Zamora to slide home the England Under-21 international midfielder's low centre at the second attempt, but that goal was always only going to be a mere consolation for a Hammers side that had been comprehensively out-fought and out-thought all over the pitch.”

Saturday 21st August 2004 - The Championship
Crewe Alexandra 2 West Ham United 3

West Ham United: Stephen Bywater; Thomas Repka, Anton Ferdinand, Rufus Brevett, Adam Nowland; Luke Chadwick, Nigel Reo-Coker, Hayden Mullins (Trent McClenahan 55), Matthew Etherington (Chris Cohen 84); Teddy Sheringham, Marlon Harewood (Bobby Zamora 45). Subs not used: James Walker, Mark Noble, Sergei Rebrov.

Goals: Sheringham 16, 22, Brevett 30

Booked: Harewood

Attendance: 7,857

FootyMAD report (www.westhamutd-mad.co.uk):

“Veteran hitman Teddy Sheringham was too hot for Crewe to handle in a blistering opening half hour at Gresty Road.

The 38-year-old former England international dispatched scored twice inside the opening 22 minutes and the hosts' woeful defence succumbed again when Rufus Brevett hit a long-range shot past keeper Ben Williams.

But the Londoners' hopes of running up a cricket score were quickly dissipated by a goal from Dean Ashton and a succession of poor finishes.

In the end Alan Pardew's side were left hanging on after Ashton claimed his second eight minutes from time to set up a nervous finish.

Early in the game West Ham swept forward with Matthew Etherington exposing Crewe's right flank and Marlon Harewood's burly physique and power terrorising Crewe's central defensive duo of Richard Walker and Steve Foster.

Harewood thumped Etherington's ninth minute corner onto the top of the woodwork, before sauntering through the Crewe back line to set up the opening goal for the visitors in the 16th minute.

Harewood laid the ball off to Luke Chadwick on the right and, when he cut the ball across the box, Sheringham struck a great right footer into the top right-hand corner.

The veteran picked up his second in the 22nd minute with a deft flick of the head to turn Etherington's cross beyond home keeper Williams.

The Railwaymen were camped in their own half for much of the first 45 minutes, but on-loan right-back Keith Briggs did charge up field and force Stephen Bywater to tip over his powerful drive.

The keeper's opposite number, Williams, had no answer though when Brevett came up with a ferocious 30-yard effort on the half-hour mark. The ball flew into the top corner with the aid of a deflection and the
Hammers appeared to be out of sight at 3-0 up.

Within a minute Kenny Lunt back-heeled the ball into Ashton's pass and the England Under-21 striker picked out the bottom corner with a low shot.

United spurned several good openings early in the second half with Harewood the guilty party on more then one occasion. However the former Nottingham Forrest man almost broke the woodwork with a thundering volley that crashed off Williams' near post, following some sloppy defending from Walker.

Etherington tucked a one-on-one opportunity the wrong side of the post and Chadwick mis-hit his close-range volley into Williams' hands.

They were almost made to pay when Ashton beat the offside trap and finished a Lunt pass by poking the ball into the bottom corner in the 82nd minute.

In injury time, substitute Steve Jones' overhead kick was far too close for comfort for a side who will expect to pick up maximum points from trips such as this if they are to retain their promotion credentials.”

Summary – The Shrimpers vs. The Hammers competitive form

Southend United:

D0-0 (home; Cambridge United; League Two)

L0-2 (away; Rochdale; League Two)

D1-1 (away; Lincoln City; League Two; Wayne Gray [pen])

L0-2 (home; Cheltenham Town; League Two)

L1-2 (home; Torquay United; League Division Three; Lawrie Dudfield)

(Won 0, Drawn 2, Lost 3, Scored 2, Conceded 7)

West Ham United:
W3-2 (away; Crewe Alexandra; The Championship; Teddy Sheringham 2, Rufus Brevett)

L1-3 (home; Wigan Athletic; The Championship; Bobby Zamora)

W1-0 (home; Reading; The Championship; Teddy Sheringham)

D0-0 (away; Leicester City; The Championship)

L0-1 (neutral; Crystal Palace; League Division One Play-Off Final)

(Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 2, Scored 5, Conceded 6)