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West Ham 2 Crewe 0: Nicky Maynard and Modibo Maiga win it for Hammers

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West Ham 2 Crewe 0: New boy Maiga's off the mark as he wins it for Hammers

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UPDATED:

20:57 GMT, 28 August 2012

Modibo Maiga scored his first goal for West Ham to seal their passage through the Capital One Cup second round.

Maiga, a 4.7million signing Sochaux, scored after 55 minutes to put the Hammers two goals up.
East London has been the centre of the sporting world over the past few weeks.

Not so here.

Happy Hammer: Modibo Maiga (second left) turns the ball past Crewe keeper Alan Martin

Happy Hammer: Modibo Maiga (second left) turns the ball past Crewe keeper Alan Martin

Match facts

West Ham: Henderson, O'Brien, Spence, Diarra, Potts, O'Neil, Nolan, Taylor, Maynard, Maiga, Vaz Te. Subs not used: Spiegel, Demel, Fanimo, Driver, Moncur, McCallum, Hall.

Scorers: Maynard, Maiga.

Crewe: Alan Martin, Mellor, Davis, Ellis, Bunn, Murphy, Westwood, Moore, Robertson, Max Clayton, Leitch-Smith. Subs not used: Garratt, Dugdale, Turton, Guthrie, Ray, Daniels, Osman.

Referee: Fred Graham.

League One Crewe’s visit to Upton
Park had neither the glamour nor the excitement of the Olympic Stadium
under the lights, and that was illustrated by the abundance of spare
seats around the ground.

Sam Allardyce showed where the
Capital One Cup lies in his list of priorities this season by making
wholesale changes from the side who slumped to defeat by Swansea on
Saturday.

Crewe boss Steve Davis showed the competition more respect, making four changes to the side beaten 5-1 by Brentford.

Maynard carved out the first real
opportunity in the 10th minute, cleverly working himself a yard of space
on the edge of the box before curling a left-foot effort just wide.

But Crewe were not intimidated by their Barclays Premier League opponents.

Stephen Henderson was nearly left
red-faced in the 12th minute after what should have been a routine punch
ricocheted off Crewe right back Kelvin Mellor and, luckily for the
Hammers keeper, over the bar.

Highly rated West Ham defender Dan
Potts then made an excellent interception on the edge of his six-yard
box with Max Clayton waiting to pounce on Ajay Leitch-Smith’s dangerous
low cross.

Maiga looked threatening on their
right, but the Mali forward was a rare bright spot for Allardyce’s side
in the opening stages as they struggled for intensity.

It did not take long for the Upton
Park faithful to make their feelings known as the moans and groans that
have become synonymous with Allardyce’s reign soon started bellowing
from the stands.

But Maynard eased the home supporters concerns in the 34th minute with a spectacular strike against the club he left in 2008.

Ricardo Vaz Te’s pacy run down the
right culminated with a cross that the Crewe rearguard made a hash of
clearing, leaving Maynard to fire an acrobatic volley past Alan Martin
to put the Hammers ahead.

Davis’s side would have rightly felt aggrieved at the scoreline as they competed well against their top-flight opponents.

But Maynard threatened to rub salt in
the visitors’ wounds moments later with an identical effort that was
blocked, unknowingly, by Crewe skipper Ashley Westwood.

Maynard’s opener seemed to help West Ham to emerge from their slow start as they tried to put the game to bed before half-time.

First Alou Diarra, making his first
start for the club, had a close-range header from Gary O’Neil’s
outswinging corner well saved by Martin in the 40th minute.

Then the France midfielder went
agonisingly close with another header, this time from Matt Taylor’s
corner, on the stroke of half-time.

But they were nearly left to rue
Diarra’s misses when Henderson saved superbly low to his right from Luke
Murphy’s 25-yard rasper.

However, Maiga quelled any growing
apprehension by notching the goal his threatening first-half display
deserved 10 minutes after the restart, prodding home from close range
after Kevin Nolan’s low, angled effort had been parried by Martin.

Maiga should have doubled his tally
for the night seven minutes later but somehow sent his effort from
substitute Mathias Fanimo’s cross over from four yards.

Fanimo himself forced Martin into a
save moments later with a well-struck angled effort which the keeper
could only turn round the post.

Twenty-five-year-old Maiga went close
again in the 70th minute, glancing a header from a deep O’Neil cross
just wide as the Hammers looked to put the League One side to the
sword.

Salford 8 Widnes 46: Hanbury on song as Vikings stun Reds

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Salford 8 Widnes 46: Hanbury on song as Vikings stun Reds

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UPDATED:

21:45 GMT, 20 July 2012

Salford's hopes of a top eight finish
in Super League suffered a massive setback as Widnes ran in eight tries
in an emphatic win.

Scrum-half Rhys Hanbury was the star
of the show with two tries and eight goals, while Patrick Ah Van and
Cameron Phelps also bagged two tries each for the rampant Vikings.

Widnes, hammered 38-18 at home by Salford in February, went into the clash in confident mood after a resounding 40-10 win over Castleford and a narrow one-point defeat by St Helens.

However, the Vikings were without skipper Jon Clarke, Paddy Flynn and Shaun Briscoe although Stefan Marsh, Joe Mellor and Ah Van had all recovered from knocks.

The Reds were also buoyed by successive victories against Warrington and Hull KR and decided to delay the debut of 35-year-old assistant coach Sean Long, who was registered as a player with the club this week.

Youngster Mark Sneyd continued at scrum-half alongside Exiles star Daniel Holdsworth after Matty Smith's move to Wigan, with Sean Gleeson back in the centre.

Ashley Gibson kept his place after the late withdrawal of Joel Moon and the Reds clearly missed his power in midfield.

Widnes had an early Hep Cahill try disallowed by referee James Child for an infringement in the build-up and then Paul McShane was held up over the line.

It was a bright start by the Vikings but Salford should have scored when Hanbury lost possession and Vinnie Anderson and Holdsworth broke clear.

A niggly opening kept the officials busy with desperate Salford defence again denying Marsh when he looked a certain scorer.

Widnes were rewarded for their perseverance when John Kite's charge set up the chance for Hanbury to send Phelps bursting through Lee Jewitt's tackle after 24 minutes.

Hanbury booted the conversion and Widnes went further ahead three minutes later when Phelps' pass took a deflection from a defender before Ah Van touched down in the corner.

Hanbury kicked the goal off the touchline to make it 12-0 as Salford struggled to reproduce recent form.

The Vikings added a third try four minutes before the break when Ah Van latched on to a McShane kick to cross, with Hanbury's conversion stretching the lead to 18-0.

Hanbury then piled on the agony for Salford with a scorching burst to score, and his fourth goal made it 24-0 at the interval.

Salford were hammered 10-3 in the first-half penalty count but should have scored early in the second half before Jordan James threw away a chance after a strong burst by Iafeta Paleaasesina.

It was no surprise when McShane burrowed over from dummy half to extend the lead to 30-0.

The Vikings suffered a blow with the departure of Eamon Carroll with an arm injury but Widnes were ripping apart Salford in midfield and another Hanbury burst sent Phelps over for his second try.

Hanbury bagged his second touchdown with another sizzling effort to stretch the advantage to 40-0.

Gibson went over for Salford after 58 minutes before Danny Williams took his try tally to seven in four games to give the home fans something to cheer.

However, Danny Craven sealed the win for the Vikings by intercepting a Sneyd pass to record the eighth try six minutes from time.

Widnes 40 Castleford 10: Vikings move off the bottom with big win over Tigers

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Widnes 40 Castleford 10: Vikings move off the bottom with big win over Tigers

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UPDATED:

00:08 GMT, 3 July 2012

Widnes climbed off the bottom of the Stobart Super League table with a comprehensive victory over depleted Castleford at Stobart Stadium Halton.

A Jon Clarke-inspired performance put Widnes in control after the veteran hooker had a hand in two of the Vikings' first-half tries which gave them the platform for victory.

The home side, who have been rooted to the foot of the ladder for the majority of the season, got off to a blistering start thanks to Stefan Marsh, one of eight former Wigan players in the Widnes line-up, after he latched on to a Cameron Phelps' pass.

Widness beat Castleford

Nick Youngquest replied for the Tigers, who played without a recognised pivot for 30 minutes until skipper Danny Orr showed up from the bench.

Castleford's lacklustre attacks were few and far between – clearly missing star player Rangi Chase who remains absent due to internal disciplinary reasons.

They did muster one decent bit of play towards the close of the first half through Jordan Thompson but the centre could not collect a regulation pass deep in Widnes territory.

Widnes' grip on the game continued as blockbusting second-rower Frank Winterstein barged his way over from close range in the 22nd minute before Ben Davies added a third try just before half-time.

Pat Ah Van's three conversions, all easily kickable, went over and the game was Widnes' to lose entering the second period with an 18-4 lead.

Ian Millward, the Tigers boss, must have given his troops an ear bashing at the break as the visitors came out more fired up but it did not last for long as Paul McShane crashed over from the dummy half for a converted try and then Joe Mellor flew over after a neat show and go.

Ah Van missed his first conversion of the evening but it mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

Stuart Jones got a score back for the sorry Tigers, Craig Huby tagging on the extras but Widnes were soon restoring their lead with another try, this time through debutant Eamon O'Carroll who pounced on McShane's dab through.

Ah Van then flew in for a try himself at the end with Rhys Hanbury slotting the goal from the touchline to round things off.

Wigan 54 Widnes 12: Warriors three points clear

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Wigan 54 Widnes 12: Charnley hat-trick sends Warriors three points clear

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UPDATED:

21:53 GMT, 25 June 2012

Josh Charnley took over as Super League's leading scorer for 2012 with a 26-point haul as Wigan re-established a three-point lead at the top of the table with victory over bottom club Widnes.

England's new winger scored a hat-trick of tries to take his tally to 25 in 18 matches and also kicked seven goals to go past Hull's former Wigan forward Danny Tickle and Catalan Dragons' Scott Dureau to the top of the scoring chart.

It was all too easy for the Warriors as they cruised to a 13th successive win at the DW Stadium in a match that vividly demonstrated the gulf that exists between the top and bottom of Super League.

Hat-trick hero: Charnley (holding ball) scored 26 points

Hat-trick hero: Charnley (holding ball) scored 26 points

Stand-off Brett Finch also caught the eye with a brace of tries as Wigan gained ample revenge for their shock 37-36 defeat at the Stobart Stadium in March.

With skipper Sean O'Loughlin slotting effortlessly into the halves to offset the loss of scrum-half Thomas Leuluai with a broken leg, the Warriors resembled a well-oiled machine.

It took the leaders just two minutes to score the first of their 10 tries, with Charnley taking O'Loughlin's pass to cross at the corner.

A rout looked on the cards when hooker Michael McIlorum easily shrugged off the attempted tackle of Chris Dean to score a soft try and Brett Finch and Sam Tomkins worked the ball out wide for centre George Carmont to touch down.

Charnley's second goal made it 16-0 after only 13 minutes, but Widnes' former Wigan prop Ben Cross stopped the rot when he plunged over for only the second try of his lengthy career, just three weeks after scoring his first.

Patrick Ah Van added the goal and the Vikings enjoyed something of a purple patch as they set up camp on the Wigan line.

Stand-off Joe Mellor, who is on loan from the Warriors, would have added a second try following a break from halfway but for a terrific tackle from Jack Hughes, who gave his old team-mate a 15-yard start before hauling him down short of the line.

Wigan soaked up the pressure and struck with two more quickfire tries through substitute Paul Prescott, who took O'Loughlin's short pass to claim his first Super League touchdown for 12 months, and winger Anthony Gelling.

Mellor made amends for his earlier miss when he intercepted Finch's pass to scoot 30 metres for a try on the stroke of half-time, but Wigan re-established their 22-point advantage within two minutes of the re-start when Finch dummied his way over for a sixth try.

Welsh international Rhodri Lloyd was inches away from scoring on his home debut before Charnley showed his strength as well as pace to beat two defenders to claim his second try.

He completed his hat-trick on 67 minutes, pouncing after former Wigan full-back Shaun Briscoe failed to clear Tomkins' grubber kick, and O'Loughlin once more demonstrated his class to get Finch over for his second try.

Charnley has endured difficult times filling in for regular marksman Pat Richards but he looked full of confidence as he booted his seventh goal from nine attempts to bring up the half-century before Tomkins' went over for his side's 10th try.

London 28 Widnes 24: Antonio Kaufusi"s late try won it for Broncos

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London 28 Widnes 24: Bucking Broncos throw Vikings with late show

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UPDATED:

16:24 GMT, 9 June 2012

Antonio Kaufusi grabbed a last-gasp try as London snatched a dramatic victory over Widnes in the Stobart Super League basement battle at the Stoop.

Kaufusi burst over from close range as the hooter sounded to haul the Broncos off the foot of the table – at Widnes' expense.

It was a cruel blow for the visitors, who looked set to claim the two points after try braces from Cameron Phelps and Frank Winterstein.

Triumph: London Broncos hauled themselves off the bottom of the league

Triumph: London Broncos hauled themselves off the bottom of the league

The hosts welcomed back both Jason Golden and Julien Rinaldi after lengthy spells out with injury, although both Michael Witt and Chris Melling were forced to miss out.

Widnes were able to restore Jon Clarke at stand-off, although Joe Mellor sat out the clash following his suspension for a dangerous tackle against Huddersfield last week.

Having beaten the Londoners 38-30 on their own patch earlier this season, and buoyed by last weekend's defeat of the Giants, Widnes approached the game in confident mood.

The visitors made the brighter start, Phelps racing clear to touch down after a delayed pass from Clarke with barely three minutes on the clock.

But a succession of penalties soon put Widnes on the back foot, and the Londoners profited when Craig Gower charged over from close range to bring the teams level.

Paul McShane came close to giving the Vikings the lead again on 17 minutes, only for some strong London defence to hold him up as he attempted to wrestle over the line.

The hosts themselves were growing into the game, but handling errors from both sides were stopping them gaining any momentum.

The Broncos were showing a severe lack of creativity though, and that was allowing the Vikings to stay on level terms despite the hosts bossing possession and territory.

Tug back: Jamie O'Callaghan of London Broncos has his shirt pulled by Paddy Flynn

Tug back: Jamie O'Callaghan of London Broncos has his shirt pulled by Paddy Flynn

Gower thought he had struck again on 30 minutes, only for referee Rob Hicks to adjudge him short of the line.

But London did take the lead shortly after, wing Omari Caro crossing in the corner after some neat hands from Dan Sarginson and David Howell.

As has so often been the case this season though, the Broncos were unable to take that lead into half-time, Winterstein muscling over to bring the sides level right on the hooter.

And things got even better for the away side moments after the interval when Phelps took advantage of Gower's slip to race through for his second try and push Widnes back into a six-point lead.

Collection: Julien Rinaldi

Collection: Julien Rinaldi

London were quick to answer that though, Tony Clubb bulldozing through to level things up on 48 minutes.

It was the Broncos who were on top, but they were unable to take the game by the scruff of the neck as Widnes held firm.

But as the chances went begging the Vikings rallied themselves, and then showed London how it should be done when Winterstein crashed over for his second and Patrick Ah Van maintained his 100% record with the boot this afternoon with the conversion attempt to push the visitors 24-18 ahead.

Back came the Broncos, Sarginson setting up a grandstand finish when he wriggled over with seven minutes to play, only for Shane Rodney, who had added the extras to the previous three tries, to hit the post with his conversion attempt.

The game looked up but Kaufusi changed all that, with Kieran Dixon adding the extras to seal a narrow win.

Widnes 34 Catalan 42

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Widnes 34 Catalan 42: Dragons continue fine league form after edging out Vikings

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UPDATED:

16:49 GMT, 20 May 2012

Catalan Dragons bounced back from their Challenge Cup defeat by Warrington to notch their fifth win in their last six Super League matches.

But the Dragons were given a fright by bottom club Widnes in a 14-try extravaganza.

Widnes had conceded at least 30 points in every match back in Super League and were determined to make amends for their 76-6 hammering at the hands of the Dragons in March.

Widnes 34 Catalan Dragons 42

The Vikings, who had lost their only two previous meetings against Catalan, welcomed back goal-kicking winger Patrick Ah Van, although Simon Finnigan was out with a broken leg sustained in the Vikings' sixth defeat in a row at Castleford.

Widnes coach Denis Betts recalled Anthony Mullally, who was dropped after rejecting a new contract offer.

Mathias Pala was on the Dragons' bench for his first appearance of the season in place of Daryl Millard.

And the Dragons took less than two minutes to sweep ahead after Scott Dureau's 40-20 kick put the Vikings immediately on the defensive.

Dureau fed Leon Pryce straight from the scrum and Clint Greenshields slid over in the corner.

Catalan looked set to go further ahead but Stefan Marsh intercepted Vincent Duport's pass.

The Vikings relief was short-lived with Steve Menzies taking Dureau's inside pass after 10 minutes to send Pryce over and make it 10-0.

Duport shrugged off Paddy Flynn for the Dragons third try three minutes later and it was all too easy for the Frenchmen.

Menzies let Widnes off the hook by losing the ball over the line before the Vikings were finally stung into action.

Widnes got on the scoresheet midway through the first half with Stefan Marsh taking Rhys Hanbury's pass to cut inside Dureau and Hanbury booted the conversion to cut the gap to 14-6.

A rare Catalan mistake then allowed Joe Mellor to wriggle over and cut the gap to 14-12.

But Pryce put Louis Anderson through a yawning gap to extend the Dragons' lead after 32 minutes with Dureau tagging on the goal.

Then Anderson inexplicably dropped the ball over the line from Pryce to squander another chance.

Widnes had an Ah Van try disallowed for a forward pass from Hanbury, who then ran 80 metres after the half-time hooter to score a spectacular solo breakaway try.

Hanbury booted the conversion and, after being outplayed for most of the first half, Widnes trailed only 20-18 at the break.

The Vikings went ahead early in the second half with a fine Chris Dean try after he slipped a Thomas Bosc tackle following a storming Marsh burst.

But Widnes skipper Jon Clarke was sin-binned after 52 minutes for a late tackle on Dureau.

Vikings sub Lloyd White was taken off with a leg injury but, after Ah Van had a try disallowed, Anderson forced his way over on the hour to restore the Dragons' advantage at 26-22.

Mellor was down injured when Lopini Paea barged his way over with Dureau making it 32-22.

Mellor became the second Widnes player carried off on a stretcher with both tries coming with Clarke in the bin.

But Dave Allen's converted try after Clarke's return closed the gap to 32-28 and then Clarke and Dean put Ah Van over in the corner to level 32-32.

Man of the match Hanbury's conversion edged the Vikings back in front but the lead was short-lived with Bosc scoring too far out for Dureau to convert.

Dureau's late converted try sealed the win.

Huddersfield 12 Wigan 32

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Huddersfield 12 Wigan 32: Warriors topple Giants to take Super League top spot

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UPDATED:

23:59 GMT, 18 May 2012

Three tries in eight minutes midway through the second half put Wigan two points clear at the top of Super League and posed serious questions about Huddersfield’s title ambitions.

Greg Eden had briefly levelled the scores at 12-12, but George Carmont’s double sandwiched Liam Farrell’s close-range effort in an impressive match-winning spell for the visitors.

Winning feeling: Wigan celebrate after edging out Huddersfield

Winning feeling: Wigan celebrate after edging out Huddersfield

WEEKEND PREVIEW

HULL KR v CASTLEFORD Sunday, Craven Park, 3pm

Rovers arewithout Jake Webster (double hernia) for a ninth successive game. Tigers’ Man of Steel Rangi Chase serves his final match of athree-week ban.

Prediction: Away win

LONDON v HULL FC Sunday, Priestfield Stadium, 2pm

Broncosare under huge pressure after chairman David Hughes this week launched a reviewinto the side’s poor performances. Joe Westerman could feature for Hull afterrecovering from a dislocated shoulder.

Prediction: Away win

WAKEFIELD v WARRINGTON Sunday, Belle Vue, 3.30pm

FormerLeeds and New Zealand forward Ali Lauitiiti returns for Wakefield. Warrington include Stefan Ratchford.

Prediction: Away win

WIDNES v CATALAN Sunday, Stobart Stadium, 3pm

Wiganhalf-back Joe Mellor starts a month-long loan at Widnes, but Shaun Briscoe(groin) is ruled out. Catalan are aiming to bounce back from last week’sChallenge Cup defeat.

Prediction: Away win

'We scored some great tries,' said Wigan coach Shaun Wane. 'To score seven tries against a team like Huddersfield, who I’m a big admirer of, I’m fairly satisfied.

'They asked us some questions in the first half and they were always going to do that, they’ve got some great players. The desire we showed to support each other was fantastic.'

Jeff Lima’s last-minute try added the finishing touches to a win that leaves Huddersfield’s big-match ability in doubt. They reached the Challenge Cup final in 2009, but have since lost in successive play-off campaigns without making any real impact. Only wins in games like this will engender a belief that the Giants are capable of making a first Grand Final appearance.

They started well enough, with hooker Luke Robinson spotting a gap on the blind side before quick hands from Leroy Cudjoe gave Jermaine McGillvary enough space to slide over.

But the Warriors hit back with three tries before half-time.

Smart passes from Darrell Goulding twice sent Josh Charnley over, either side of a try from Sam Tomkins after brilliant footwork.

Only Charnley’s three conversion misses left Huddersfield with any hope at the break. Eden’s score boosted the hosts, but Wigan pulled clear.

Giants coach Nathan Brown admitted: 'They were too good for us. They’re a very good team and they were better than us in a couple of key areas.'

Castleford 36 Widnes 12

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Castleford 36 Widnes 12: Three and easy for Youngquest as Tigers return to winning ways

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UPDATED:

15:50 GMT, 7 May 2012

Nick Youngquest scored a hat-trick of tries as Castleford returned to winning ways but rock-bottom Widnes' woes continued after another Stobart Super League loss at the PROBIZ Coliseum.

The Tigers had lost their last three matches, including a demoralising defeat to Featherstone in the Carnegie Challenge Cup, but they were the better side in a scrappy encounter on Monday afternoon.

On target: Castleford returned to winning ways

On target: Castleford returned to winning ways

The gap was just two points at the interval but second-half tries from Jordan Thompson, three from Nick Youngquest and Daryl Clark's second of the afternoon condemned the Vikings to their sixth consecutive defeat.

Widnes manager Denis Betts can take solace in the fact his side were competitive for large spells but their much-maligned defence was exploited several times.

Brett Ferres thought he had opened the scoring for Castleford after bursting past Stefan Marsh to touch down but referee Steve Ganson ruled the centre had been held up.

Widnes loose forward Simon Finnigan suffered a leg injury in the build-up and his afternoon was curtailed after he was stretchered off the field.

The Vikings, who had conceded 262 points in their last five matches, were showing signs of indiscipline, with the penalty count racking up early on, and Ben Cross gave away another for obstructing Ferres deep in his own territory.

Although Richie Owen was held up on the right, the ball was quickly spread back across the field for Ferres to cross in the left corner.

However, with their first real opportunity, the visitors levelled when Joe Mellor's short kick to the right was pouched by Paddy Flynn, who outjumped opposite number Youngquest to touch down, with Hanbury scoring the conversion.

Both sides had chances but Castleford slowly started to take the initiative and only a tremendous last-gasp tackle prevented Josh Griffin from scoring after Danny Orr had made the breakaway.

The ball was quickly passed to Clark on the left and although he crossed, the video referee ruled there had been a double movement.

Clark would not be denied a second time, however, and exploited a gap in the Widnes defence from dummy half for his side's second try.

Orr added the extras to give the Tigers a 10-6 lead but Widnes scrum-half Rhys Hanbury kicked a penalty on the stroke of half-time to narrow the gap to just two points.

A rather scrappy start to the second half ensued, with both sides guilty of committing several handling errors in key areas.

However, Thompson extended Castleford's lead by spinning away from two Widnes defenders before scampering over from 30 metres.

Widnes' situation was worsened when Hanbury's grubber fell to Ferres and he passed to Youngquest, who sprinted the length of the field to touch down, with Craig Huby adding the extras after Orr had left the field due to a back injury.

Youngquest added his second from Ferres' high cut-out pass and registered his hat-trick on the left to give Castleford a 30-8 lead as the Vikings threatened to completely capitulate.

Clark then added his second of the afternoon, bursting over unchallenged, and Griffin added the conversion before Marsh ended Widnes' woeful second half with a flourish after crossing on the right.