Football
West Ham have escaped the gravedigger’s shovel! The team from the sixth league defeated in extra time, King played only half-time
It was literally David and Goliath in Saturday’s FA Cup match, West Ham travelled to the ground of a team from the sixth league, so the favourite was clear. However, Kidderminster came close to making a big splash for a long time, but fell in extra time.
It was literally David and Goliath in Saturday’s FA Cup match, West Ham travelled to the ground of a team from the sixth league, so the favourite was clear. However, Kidderminster came close to making a big splash for a long time, but fell in extra time.
Cup competitions are magical in that an underdog can knock out any big favourite at any time. One such sensation could have happened in Saturday’s FA Cup programme, but in the end the imaginary minnow was no match for the Premier League giant.
The team from the town of Kidderminster, which has a population of around 50,000, welcomed West Ham to its 6,500-seater stadium. And for a long time it looked like they might beat the clear favourite.
In the 19th minute, defender Alex Penny scored after a standard situation. The goal was celebrated by the whole stadium.
West Ham, of course, began to press all the harder. In normal time alone, they held the ball over 70% of the time. However, it wasn’t until the second half’s setup that the Gravedigger was able to escape the shovel, with Declan Rice coming through in the 92nd minute.
The equalizer was understandably a big boost for the Giants, but it had the opposite effect on the home side. The ensuing extra time looked like it was going to be one in which West Ham dominated all aspects.
Jarrod Bowen scored the winning goal in the 120th minute. No sensation there, but in a way the fact that Kidderminster were able to resist for so long is a miracle.
Alex King started the game in the starting line-up, but only played the first half. David Moyes clearly didn’t want to take any chances and although the Czech midfielder didn’t play badly, he replaced him with Declan Rice. Tomáš Souček also came on in the second half and contributed to the turnaround.
Source: FA Cup, Twitter