JACK ’N THRILL
Wilshere breaks his duck
JACK WILSHERE’S and Pablo Fornals’ first West Ham goals ensured they avoided becoming Newport County’s latest cup victims.
The England outcast gave the League Two giantkillers a sucker punch before half-time with his first League Cup goal for 11 years to put Mike Flynn’s side up against the ropes.
Fornals landed the knockout blow as he got off the mark following his £24million move to East London to stake a claim for a Premier League starting spot.
Boss Manuel Pellegrini ignored Newport’s recent cup heroics as he made 10 changes to the side that clinched a first Premier League victory of the season against Watford on Saturday.
Alban Ajeti made his first start since his £8million move from Basel and Wilshere was given a chance to shine in midfield.
The Hammers were forced into a change with only seven minutes on the clock when Michail Antonio pulled his hamstring charging onto a Fornals pass that would have put him clean through on goal.
Felipe Anderson came on and unlocked the defence with a pin-point through ball to Aaron Cresswell on the left. The left-back squared the ball for Fornals, but the Spaniard could only steer his low shot onto the post.
For all of West Ham’s dominance, Newport should have been ahead after 24 minutes.
Tristan Abrahams robbed Issa Diop deep inside West Ham territory and crossed to put the ball on a plate for strike partner Padraig Amond.
But the hero of last year’s FA Cup win over Leicester hit a weak shot straight at Roberto with the goal gaping.
But Newport’s hard work was undone by a mistake half-time.
Wilshere nipped in after centre-back Kyle Howkins miscontrolled and calmly side-footed the ball into the net.
Abrahams was inches away from an equaliser when he got a toe to Willmott’s wicked ball across the face of goal eight minutes after the restart.
But Fornals was in the right place to net
Anderson’s low cross after the ball ran loose from a melee in the six-yard box to seal West
Ham’s passage into the third round. two minutes before
LEAGUE Cup specialist Albert Adomah struck yet again.
Adomah has scored four and made four in his last seven League Cup ties with Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and now Forest.
He got Forest’s first goal in the 25th minute and set up Joe Lolley for the second 10 minutes later.
Forest had only won one of the last seven of these derbies and Rafa Mir sent a flying volley over the bar inside 20 minutes. But Derby took their eyes off Adomah at their peril. When Lolley put over a corner, big Mir headed it on and Adomah arrived at the far post with a cracking shot.
Then from Adomah’s run and cross, Lolley got above Derby’s defence to head in.
Joao Carvalho, on as sub for youngster, Brennan Johnson, smashed in the third 11 minutes from time.