Dawson delivers Hammer blow to edge out minnows
CRAIG Dawson spared West Ham’s blushes as they progressed to the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over non-league Stockport at a sodden Edgeley Park.
The driving rain left the pitch resembling a mud bath at fulltime and largely negated the gulf in class between the sides, with Stockport having a couple of half-chances to claim one of the round’s biggest upsets.
But the Premier League side, 86 places above their Vanarama National League opponents, avoided a giant-killing as Dawson headed home from Jarrod Bowen’s right-wing cross seven minutes from time.
David Moyes had made five changes to his line-up from the Premier League win at Everton on New Year’s Day, with with Ben Johnson, Mark Noble, Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio all drafted in.
But it was still a line-up comprising of seven internationals against a side who had reached this stage of the competition for the first time since 2007, and with Wayne Rooney’s younger brother, John, in their ranks.
The hosts were largely camped in their own half early on and almost fell behind when Said Benrahma chested down a cross, shimmied to find an opening before shooting against the outside of the post.
Yarmolenko let fly from distance but missed the target, while West Ham were given a scare when goalkeeper Darren Randolph’s punch from a corner flew behind him, only for one of his defenders to bail him out.
The tricky conditions were encapsulated when Ben Hinchliffe spilled a routine shot from Lanzini, although the Stockport goalkeeper gratefully gathered at the second attempt.
West Ham match winner Dawson said: “It was a tough game, difficult for both sides but we stuck to our task and did very well in the end. It’s been a while since I’ve played in conditions like that but it’s great to get a goal.”