LFL: WHU

What a fantastic start to our season. After a fairly tentative first-half we really came to life in the second, with our new players displaying a combination of speed, grit and skill that was too much for West Ham. It was also great to see three favourites from last season, Mayenda, Ballard and Isisdor, showing that they can score at the top level. Roefs looks like he’s been a great buy too.

BEFORE

It's been such an unusually exciting transfer-window that when I see the team come out this afternoon, I'm sure I won't recognise at least half of them. We all know that in the last two seasons the three teams coming up from the Championship have all gone straight down again but I think we're going to break that tradition this time around. I've no idea which players will start this match or in what formation but I trust Le Bris and I think it's going to be a great occasion. I imagine the Hammers will bring a good number of their fans. I was having a drink in a bar at Liverpool Street Station last week when a couple of lads came over and said that they'd see me at my place next week. I was miles away and wondered what they were on about till I remembered I was wearing a Sunderland T-shirt. They were very friendly and wished us all the best for the season. Let's hope their other supporters are equally pally today. I don't know anything about the West Ham squad but I'm glad that Antonio is no longer with them as I hated to see him terrorise our defence. I'm planning to be over the stadium early to welcome the team and soak up the atmosphere. It's been a slow train coming but we've finally arrived. Match prediction: 2-1 to us.

I called in at ALS for a pre-match group hug and I was in my seat in the Upper East Stand by 2.00. I had a bit of trouble getting through the turnstile but a very friendly steward pressed the right buttons on my phone and I was in. I got the team-news straightaway and heard that the only four survivors from last season in the starting eleven were Ballard, Mayenda, Hume and Seelt. There were plenty of familiar faces on the bench, though, including Le Fee, Isidor, Roberts, Rigg and Neil. So, Roefs, Talbi, Reinildo, Diarra, Adingra, Sadiki and Xhaka were all making their league debuts. The players were given a very warm welcome as they came out at 2.20. The pitch was looking in perfect condition, as you would expect. The p.a. was booming out like crazy and at one point it looked like the match officials were doing a dance routine to the Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’. There were around two thousand away fans present; the most I’d seen for many a year. Anyway, there was a great

atmosphere building as kick-off time approached and, “Baby I’m ready to go!” blasted out all around as the teams lined up. There was a well-observed minute’s silence for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva and then we were off.

THE MATCH

West Ham had the first chance in the third minute when Roefs had to get down to turn a low shot from Bowen out for a corner and he was there to punch away the corner itself. Roefs clearly has a very Huuuuumeable name. In the sixth Diarra was put through in their box and hit a hard shot that was turned out by Hermansen in goal for our first corner. Adingra was showing his pace and Sadiki was looking very tenacious in the early stages. In the twentieth Talbi put over a great cross from the right but nobody could get on the end of it. We then conceded a free-kick on our left but it went right across the pitch and out for a throw to us. It had been a decent first quarter of the match for us.

In the twenty-seventh it looked like West Ham were about to take the lead but a low shot by Fullkrug was blocked and we got the ball away. This was a good period for the Hammers and they threatened several times but our defence didn’t look ruffled though they were guilty of not picking up attackers at times. We battled back and started to put some pressure on ourselves but with around five minutes to the break we’d still only had one shot on target. With three minutes to the break we won a corner on our left after a speedy break set up by Diarra It had to be retaken and led immediately to another corner at the other side. Ballard got a weak header on it but the ball was easily collected by Hermansen. There was no added-time and our fans applauded loudly as the teams went off. Although we’d looked rather vulnerable at the back at times, overall it was a case of so far, so good.

Pop Robson came on to make the half-time draw and got a good ripple from our fans. He was a very diplomatic choice as he was a favourite at West Ham too. I couldn’t see any of their fans applauding, mind.

There were no changes as we kicked off again in the bright sunshine. Three minutes in, we had a half-chance when the ball was cleared to Adingra near the left angle of their box but he didn’t connect properly and his effort looped wide of the right post. Next thing Seelt was down injured for a short while and though he seemed to have recovered, he almost immediately went down again and had to be replaced by Alderete. Both players received loud ovations. Alderete very soon won the fans admiration with a cool turn under pressure. He looks a bit of a beast too. In the fifty-seventh we won another corner, on our right, after another swift break but it resulted in a goal-kick. Alderete was in the thick of things and I can see I’m going to like him. Just before the hour-mark Diarra had a good shot from the edge of the box but it went just over the bar. Things were hotting up.

Things hotted up even more a couple of minutes later when a great cross from Alderete from the left was nodded into the bottom left-hand corner of the net by Mayenda. It seemed to take an eternity to get there and then the stadium exploded. Soon after, there was a minute’s applause for Donna Weir 1963-2025.

With a quarter of the match left things were looking good as we continued to attack with Reinildo creating some great moves down our left. In the seventieth Kilman was the first player to receive a yellow card after he’d pulled down Mayenda. Hume curved in a decent free-kick but Hermansen came out to collect it. We won a corner on the left through the impressive efforts of Adingra and after it had been punched out by Hermansen we were soon back again for number two. Ballard got it, again with his head, when he got on the end of a diagonal ball from the right to smash it into the net. With just over fifteen minutes left the win was looking good unless we messed up big time. Very soon Le Fee and Isidor came on for Mayenda and Adingra. It felt very good to be able to bring on such quality subs and the crowd were in very fine voice. West Ham won a corner which Roefs punched away but it resulted in a corner on the other side and then finally a goal-kick to us. We conceded another corner in the eighty-fourth and we got it clear but Roefs was soon called upon to save again. He certainly has a safe pair of hands. Two minutes to go and the sun continued to shine in more ways than one. Hardly anyone had gone home yet either. West Ham kept at it and were piling up the corners.

I could have done without the seven minutes of added-time I have to say. I needn’t have worried as very soon Talbi laid a pass on to Isidor and he headed down the left before moving goalwards and lamming in our third in that rather casual way he has. Talbi was subbed by Rigg and the singing continued while most of the West Ham fans had left. It ended 3-0 to great jubilation all round.