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Half-time: Burton Albion 0-0 West Ham
It’s all square at the break. The deadlock remains intact but Burton Albion have been the much better team against visitors who haven’t played together very often but don’t seem to fancy their day out against League One opposition. Burton’s players will be urged to keep doing what they’re doing, while those of West Ham can expect a metaphorical boot up the collective backside from Nuno.
45+4 min: Walker-Peters collects a long Mavropanos ball from deep but is unable to beat the first defender with his cross.
45+3 min: Traore spreads the ball wide to Scarles on the left but his attempted cross is blocked by Lofthouse.
45+1 min: Shade is sent on his way down the inside left but his low cross into the penalty area is intercepted.
45 min: Another long throw from Shade but his firts one on the sunny side of the pitch. This one is cleared by Kyle Walker-Peters.
44 min: Tyrese Shade takes his fourth and fifth long throws of the afternoon in quick succession but they’re not posiing West Ham any problems, despite the distance he’s able to chuck the ball.
42 min: Walker-Peters gets the ball wide to Traore, who tees up Mohamdou Kante with a pull-back. The Frenchman balloons the ball high over the crossbar to sarcastic jeers from the Burton fans assembled behind the goal. At last, some signs of life from West Ham.
39 min: I’d forgotten about that rule, mainly because you rarely seeing it being enforced.
38 min: Callum Wilson unleashes a shot from a few yards outside the penalty area but fires straight at the goalkeeper, Bradley Collins. He’s penalised for holding on to the ball too long and West Ham are gifted a corner. Nothing comes of it.
35 min: Burton manager Gary Bowyer will be delighted with his team’s performance thus far, but will feel they should have converted their superiority on the pitch into superiority on the scoreboard. They should have had a penalty but aren’t creating enough in the way of clear-cut chances against a West Ham side who are giving every indication that they consider this trip to Staffordshire beneath them.
34 min: Magassa is penalised for a foul out wide on the left and Burton are given another chance to whip the ball into the West Ham penalty area. George Evans whips the ball into the gloves of the waiting Areola.
31 min: As he jogged back upfield after taking that corner, Sebastien Revan pulled up abruptly and went to ground. He’s not holding his thigh so it’s not a hamstring injury. I think he might have done his knee a mischief. He makes way for Uganda international Toby Sibbick.
29 min: George Evans’ free-kick goes out for a corner off the West Ham defensive wall. Sebastien Revan’s corner is deep towards the far post and the ball is headed back across the face of goal. West Ham clear.
28 min: Krubally is fouled just outside the West Ham penalty area and wins a free-kick in an excellent position for his side. It’s directly in front of goal, about five yards outside the box.
27 min: Bradley Collins comes out of his area to boot the ball long again and Burton win a throw-in deep in West Ham territory. Tyrese Shade sends another long throw into the West Ham penalty area and it’s headed clear.
26 min: There’s a short break in play so somebody – Scarles, I think – can receive medical assistance. Yup, it’s Scarles and he’s back on his feet but hobbling about gingerly on a sore ankle.
22 min: Lofthouse sends another cross flashing through the West Ham penalty area but there’s nobody on hand in an amber shirt to get on the end of his delivery. Burton are playing very well, while West Ham look totally out of sorts so far.
21 min: Scarles fouls Sulyman Krubally in midfield and the ref plays advantage. Nothing comes of the 17-year-old’s attack and Lewis Smith brings back play for the free-kick.
19 min: Soungouto Magassa wins a corner for West Ham, who have not yet touched the ball in the Burton penalty area. The ball’s sent into the penalty are, Burton clear and West Ham recycle. Magassa goes down in the area but there isn’t much of an appeal for a penalty. Burton clear their lines.
18 min: “At first I thought the West Ham lad had won a header with a strong challenge but the replay shows he just barged him through the back,” writes Shaun T. “How is that not a penalty?”
16 min: Burton take a long throw, with Tyrese Shade trebucheting the ball into the West Ham penalty area. It ends up in the hands of Areola.
14 min: With their fans chanting for the departure of the West Ham board, the West Ham players charge forward with Adama Traore on the ball in an attack that comes to nothing. Burton have been the better side thus far.
12 min: While assorted ex-pros will inevitably claim there “wasn’t enough” in that Mavropanos barge on Beesley to award a penalty, they will be incorrect. Having seen several replays I can confirm the Greek blindsided the striker and flattened him. It was definitely a foul and Burton should have had a spot-kick. A reminder – there’s no VAR at this stage of the competition.
9 min: There’s a massive appeal for a Burton penalty as Udoku Godwin-Malife sends a good ball into the West Ham penalty area and Jake Beesley is barged to the ground by Mavropanos. The ref isn’t having it and I’m not sure he’s correct. Mavropanos made no attempt to play the ball and just barged into the back of the Burton striker. Suffice to say I’ve seen penalties given for an awful lot less!
7 min: Lofthouse comes close to winning a penalty for Burton, bustling in front of Oliver Scarles who stretches out a toe more in hope than expectation. The West Ham midfielder makes contact with the ball, but only by a whisker.
6 min: There’s a half-chance for Burton as Kyran Lofthouse gets down the right and sends a cross into the visitor’s penalty area. Tyrese Shade swings a boot but is unable to steer the ball goalwards.
5 min: It’s Areola’s turn to boot the ball long down the right touchline. Adama Traore is unable to keep it in play and concedes a throw-in.
4 min: Burton get the ball launched in the Route One style, but Konstantinos Mavropanos, West Ham’s captain for the day, wins the header as it plummets from the early afternoon sky.
3 min: West Ham get the ball wide to Kyle Walker-Peters in an advanced position but are forced backwards. Burton win a throw-in near the halfway line.
2 min: Alphonse Areola boots the ball long and Burton win possession. Moments later, the ball finds its way back to Burton goalkeeper Bradley Collins, with Terence Vancooten providing the pass to his feet.
Burton Albion v West Ham is go …
1 min: Burton get the ball rolling, with midfielder and Northern Ireland youth international JJ McKeirnan doing the honours.
A pre-match pause …
A groundsman is called on to perform some crochet on one of the goal nets, which appears to be torn. As those repairs are carried out, a plane flies over the ground trailing a protest banner telling David Sullivan and Karren Brady to get out of West Ham.
Not long now: It’s a nice sunny Valentine’s Day in Staffordshire and the teams are out on the pitch in the compact Pirelli Stadium. West Ham are hoping to get the job done, Burton are hoping to make it to the fifth round for the first time in their history and kick-off is just a few minutes away.
Today’s match officials
Referee: Lewis Smith
Assistant referees: Alex James and Hristo Karaivanov
Fourth official: Anthony Backhouse
NB VAR is not being used in this season’s FA Cup until the fifth round.
Gary Bowyer: “The players must think I’m bonkers”
The Burton Albion manager’s eccentric and unconventional techniques are designed to bring fun as well as results and this afternoon he has West Ham in his sights. Interview: Ben Fisher …
Nuno Espirito Santo: “We’re going to compete”
“It’s a beautiful competition,” said Nuno Espirito Santo of the FA Cup. “We’re going to compete, we’re going to try and go through. The cup is always a good chance to give minutes to players who don’t get many, for them to improve – we will need them further ahead.”
West Ham: In making 10 changes and deciding to give Bowen, Thomas Soucek, Mateus Fernandes and Taty Castellanos the weekend off, Nuno Espirito Santo seems to have taken a huge gamble with his team selection.
On the face of it before a ball has been kicked, this tie looks ripe for an upset. Of course, West Ham fans may not be particularly fussed about the prospect of being dumped out of the FA Cup by a League One side when Premier League surivival is the main priority for their club.
“I don’t consider it a risk,” he tells TNT Sports. “I consider it a good opportunity and a good chance for players who are not usually starting the games to add minutes, to get ready and to enjoy the game and go through the next round.”
Those teams: Gary Bowyer makes one change to the team that started against Port Vale last time out. Jack Armer replaces Alex Hartridge in defence.
Nuno makes no fewer than 10 changes to the side that snatched a draw from the jaws of victory against Manchester United and has given Jarrod Bowen a rare day off. The England winger is not in West Ham’s matchday squad. Konstantinos Mavropanos is the only survivor from Tuesday’s match, while January signing Keiber Lamadrid makes his debut. Mohamadou Kante and Adama Traore make their first starts for the club.
Burton Albion v West Ham line-ups
Burton Albion: Collins, Godwin-Malife, Armer, Vancooten, Revan, Lofthouse, Evans, McKiernan, Shade, Beesley, Krubally
Subs: Dudek, Chauke, Sibbick, Tavares, Moon, Sraha, Larsson, Adom, Cannon
West Ham: Areola, Mavropanos, Mayers, Kilman, Walker-Peters, Magassa, Kante, Lamadrid, Scarles, Traore, Wilson
Subs: Herrick, Disasi, Summerville, Taty, Diouf, Wan-Bissaka, Potts, Orford, Ajala
Early team news
Burton midfielder Charlie Webster is recovering from ankle surgery, while Dylan Williams and Julian Larsson are also both unavailable for the Brewers. Midfielder Kgaogelo “Kegs” Chauke was a doubt but could be fit. With five goals to his name in two games in this season’s FA Cup, Tyrese Shade will be hoping to add to his tally against more exalted opposition than St Albans and Brackley, while the Portuguese striker Fabio Tavares, who has three in three in the competition, may start alongside him.
With Premier League survivial very much a priority, there’s every chance Nuno will give several of West Ham’s fringe players a start today and he told reporters yesterday that Alphonse Areola will start in goal. January signing Pablo Felipe has been sidelined indefinitely, while Jean-Clair Todibo is serving the final instalment of the three-match ban he received for getting sent off against Chelsea two weeks ago.
FA Cup fourth round: Burton Albion v West Ham
Will it still count as a Cup shock if you expected the underdog to win? Today marks the first ever competitive match between Burton Albion and West Ham on an occasion when the hosts become the 150th different club the Premier League side have faced in all competitions. How did we ever survive without those tireless stats gurus at Opta, eh?
Separated by 47 places, both teams are fighting against relegation from their respective divisions but if West Ham are to avoid embarrassment at the hands of a League One side perched just one place above the drop zone, they will have to see off the top scorers in this season’s FA Cup thus far.
In beating St Albans City, Brackley Town and Boreham Wood, Burton have already scored 14 goals in this season’s FA Cup. West Ham made it to the fourth round courtesy of a 2-1 win over QPR at the London Stadium. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side come into this game on a decent run of form and are probably still sore at conceding a late, late equaliser against Manchester United at the London Stadium on Tuesday.
Gary Bowyer’s are without a win in five but drew at Port Vale last time out. Freezing weather has been forecast but the pitch has been covered by a heat blanket for the past couple of days so the game should go ahead as planned. Kick-off at the Pirelli Stadium is at 12.15pm but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
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