West Ham take a slender lead into the Carling Cup semi-final second leg in a fortnight, courtesy of a Ben Foster blunder that allowed Carlton Cole to hand the 10-man Hammers an advantage and Avram Grant some breathing space. Here’s the notes on last night’s events…
The urgency of West Ham’s pursuit of a loan deal for Wayne Bridge was emphasised by the fact that Matt Upson was started the game as an emergency left-back. Winston Reid came into the centre of the defence to partner James Tomkins. The Bridge deal could be finalised today and will be a welcome addition at Upton Park – his Fantasy credentials remain limited however.
Mark Noble and Scott Parker were a force in midfield as the Hammers dominated the first period. This pairing carry the hopes of survival and both will need to maintain form and chip in with goals if West Ham are to maintain their status. Parker in particular, could be a strong magnet for Bonus points over the remainder of the season.
Jonathan Spector was handed a midfield role once again and played his part in both goals. Spector is classed as a 4.1 defender in the Fantasy Premier League game and could come into consideration if he can maintain a midfield start.
Victor Obinna’s petulant kick out at Seb Larsson will see him miss two league matches against Arsenal and Everton, plus the second-leg at St Andrews. His absence will likely see Carlton Cole restored to the starting lineup against the Gunners, although Grant has other options with Luis Boa-Morte, Zavon Hines and Junior Stanislas also in the reckoning.
Scott Dann owners face an anxious wait after he was stretchered from the field with a hamstring injury to be replaced by David Murphy. Alex McLeish had this to say on the situation…
“Scott has a hamstring injury, and it looks like a tear. It’s a blow because he’s another player who has been in fine form…Our medical team will continue to assess him and we’ll have a clearer picture in the next 48 hours.”
Dann is obviously a major doubt for local derby with Villa this weekend and could face several weeks on the sidelines. Liam Ridgewell and Roger Johnson could both see increased interest over the next week or so then as Fantasy Managers consider Brum defenders ahead of their potential treble fixture in Gameweek 27.
Talking of which, despite Foster’s dreadful error for Carlton Cole’s winning goal, Birmingham will remain confident of turning the tie around at St Andrews. Should they win passage to the final, their recently rescheduled league fixture at Everton would be shifted to March 9 and dropped into Gameweek 29 which would leave them with a double here and give them with just the two fixtures in Gameweek 27.
