VYING FOR BORDER CONTROL
West Ham 3 Viborg FF 1
Tonight West Ham start out on another European adventure, if anyone felt ready to coin that phrase so soon after the disappointment of the semi-final defeat back in May. John Ratomski, my fellow European traveller, and I found ourselves in an optimistic mood. Despite that defeat a few months earlier, West Ham had somehow, finishing in seventh position in the Premier League, managed to secure a second successive season in Europe. It was something of a back door pass, yes, and ‘Conference League’ did suggest the European equivalents of Maidstone United and Borehamwood, but if we could get past tonight’s opponents Viborg FF, over two legs, we were guaranteed another six group matches, and European football at least up until Christmas.
It might be worth adding that once we had become aware of the back door pass back in May, we had done what any sane West Ham United travelling fan might do. We had booked our flights and hotel for the final in Prague the following June. Can you blame us?
Tonight first team coach Billy McKinlay replaces Moyes, who is suspended from the touchline for his semi-final bottle kicking exploits. A Scottish number two might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Andy Irvine’s departure a season ago was lamented by many who had enjoyed the strong backbone of back room staff from the behind closed doors days. McKinlay is just 53, and joined the club from a similar role at Stoke City at the end of the 2020-21 season. Like Irvine before him, McKinlay now finds himself thrust into the limelight because of Moyes’ suspension. Irvine himself took the wheel when Moyes contacted the Covid in September 2020 and missed two games after Hammers had begun the season with two defeats. Irvine’s record over that period was a 4-0 win at home over Wolves followed by a 3-0 win away at Leicester City. The latter marked the debut of Vladimir Coufal, who kept ex-England striker Jamie Vardy in his top pocket for the full 90 minutes. Could this be lightning striking again?
An addition to the back room staff this season is QPR’s manager from 2021-22, Mark Warbuton, who takes the pre-match routine this evening, and has obviously already made a big impression on the established and new season signings.
So what of Viborg and of that dark Scandi-Noir tradition? It’s taken them two previous rounds and four games to get to this fixture, all of which they’ve won. It’s safe to say this is the biggest game in their history, but they don’t look particularly fazed. Two of their best strikers, Said and Jatta, aren’t available as they failed to get work visas in the UK in time to travel. I reckon Hammers need a three clear goal advantage to take forward to the second leg.
Tonight’s team features the return of Angelo Ogbonna, who takes the captain’s armband in the enforced absence of Declan Rice. Also in at the start are Ashby, Coventry, Cornet, Scamacca, and Coufal playing in the left back position to cover for the suspended Cresswell.
The first fifteen minutes feel odd. This is the new West Ham team that we have all wanted to see; four new players, Coufal out of position and Ogbonna back fit again. It takes some getting used to, but slowly the players start hitting measured passes. Cornet looks quality on the ball, an archer with a quiver full of tricks. A dart right or left and he’s away.
Bowen hits the post from a tight angle but the replay shows he was offside. Then it comes. More tricks from Cornet over by the corner flag, followed by a cross that Scamacca heads powerfully into the corner of the net on 23 minutes. Scamacca almost has a second six minutes later, but is denied by Lucas Lund’s agility. And so it stays to half-time. Scamacca has the look of a younger Arnautovic. Tall, square-headed, well-balanced and focused. He will have Ogbonna’s words to counter any homesickness, should it bother him.
Mark Warbuton is involved in the bench, quipping, advising and pontificating. This is a team that want the group stages, not an outfit preferring the mono-focus of a high League position. Bowen suddenly emerges with the ball on the right, and powers a perfectly executed shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net, like a long red. Not a second too late either, as Bowen’s number immediately appears in red, held up by the fourth official for. Substitution.
A second should hand the Hammers some comfort, and so it proves, momentarily, until Jacob Bonde steals behind the West Ham defence to stretch for the long cross which he heads home. The travelling 3,000 away fans in a sea of Green raise their fists en masse in a giant yelp of joy. They have been incredibly vocal throughout, and it is oddly gratifying to give them something to cheer, if only momentarily.
Ogbonna is clearly relishing being back, surrounded as he is by new players and an Italian striker. Souček is hovering around the midfield, most passes finding their way to the forwards through him.
Ten minutes from time, and the fresh legs manage to find the target. Benrahma, mesmerising at Forest on Sunday, collects a pinpoint pass west from new signing Thilo Kehrer and heads for the line before right-angling a pass towards goal that Antonio steers home. It’s the kind of perfect goal that Hammers were scoring in most of their home games last season, the move orchestrated and executed by the team of three substitutes.
And that’s the game. A two goal lead to take to Denmark next Thursday that should prove sufficient for group stage qualification. All that remains is to challenge the claims of a 30,000 plus attendance, which any panoramic glance around the ground would end up challenging.
13 Alphonse Ariola, 2 Ben Johnson, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 14 Maxwel Cornet, 21 Angelo Ogbonna (captain), 28 Tomas Souček, 10 Manuel Lanzini, 7 Gianluca Scamacca, 20 Jarrod Bowen, 32 Conor Coventry, 50 Harrison Ashby
Substitutes: Thilo Kehrer, 8 Pablo Fornals, 9 Michail Antonio, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 12 Flynn Downes
Goalscorers: Gianluca Scamacca, Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio
