MARK O’Connor’s experienced side could not build on their impressive victory over Chelsea last time out when they were thrashed 5-2 by a young West Ham team last night.

The Potters started positively against a team who sat bottom of the Reserve Premier League South before the game with some neat play down the right by Matthew Lund.

The nineteen-year-old cut the ball inside to Diego Arismendi and the Uruguayan international struck it first time, unleashing a half volley that forced a good save from Marek Stech.

However, this early dominance didn’t last long as West Ham forward Frank Nouble robbed Andy Griffin.

The under-18 England starlet raced down Stoke’s left before crossing to Danny Kearns, who fizzed his shot low into the right-hand corner of the Steve Simonsen’s goal.

West Ham broke away again on 36 minutes, and this time it was England international midfielder Kieran Dyer who did the damage. He played the ball into Nouble before making a run behind the Potters defence to take the return and then fire past Simonsen to put the Hammers 2-0 up at the break.

Stoke looked positive after the restart and were rewarded in the 62nd minute when Lund whipped a corner into the West Ham box where Louis Moult powered a header home to make the score 2-1.

West Ham responded immediately. Terry Dixon drove forward from kick-off before slipping the ball to Dyer, whose hamstring problems now seem a thing of the past. He didn’t break his stride in collecting the pass before driving the ball low past Simonsen and into the net on 63rd minutes.

Dixon was involved again a minute later as Nouble was given time inside the Stoke half. The big forward composed himself before sliding the ball across to Dixon, who swept the ball home from six yards to make the score 4-1 on 64 minutes.

The Potters won another corner and claimed another goal on 75 minutes ... and Moult was again the scorer.

Once again Lund swung the ball in and once again Moult was unmarked to power his header home.

But that was as good as it got for the Potters. Seven minutes later, West Ham’s Dixon and Nouble combined again for the latter to coolly shoot past Simonsen to make the final score 5-2.

TEAMS

West Ham: Stech, Brookes, Eyjolfsson, Daprela, Ferrari (Zola, 61), Kearns, Dyer (Wearen, 68), Payne, Edgar, Dixon, Nouble. Unused: Cowler, Grasser, Abdulla.

Stoke City: Simonsen, Griffin, Cohen, Higginbotham, Pugh, Lund, Amdy Faye, Arismendi, Wedderburn, Moult, Urwin. Subs: Parton, McDonald, Connor, Nicholls.
Attendance: 216.