Former West Ham man Lee Bowyer netted his first competitive goal for the Blues a minute from time as Town left Upton Park with a deserved 1-0 victory. The veteran midfielder had struck the woodwork in a first half largely dominated by the Blues with Michael Chopra also going close.
Boss Paul Jewell initially named an unchanged side and bench for the third game running, however, 10 minutes before kick-off Nathan Ellington was added to the bench in place of Daryl Murphy, who had picked up a knock in the warm-up.
Hammers manager Sam Allardyce made three changes, David Bentley and Sam Baldock making their first starts and James Tomkins coming back into the side in place of Winston Reid, Matt Taylor and Julien Faubert.
The Blues started strongly and were close to going in front in the fifth minute when Carlos Edwards whipped in a cross from the right. As at Middlesbrough on Saturday, Michael Chopra seemed certain to score but this time it was Robert Green’s turn to thwart the Town frontman, the ex-Norwich keeper probably knowing more about his stop than Boro’s Carl Ikeme at the weekend.
Ex-Canaries loanee Henri Lansbury gave referee Keith Stroud first use of his pencil in the 11th minute when he picked up a yellow card for a very late lunge on Carlos Edwards.
The Blues were continuing to have the better of it and on 12 a move down the Town left ended with Bullard’s shot deflecting over off Tomkins.
West Ham’s first attacking play of note came on the quarter hour, Carlton Cole crossing from the left, Baldock flicking it on to Nolan but the former Bolton man was offside when he hit a shot which Bowyer cleared from the line.
But Town were still the side on top and again went close in the 20th minute. After Edwards had crossed from the right, Bowyer hit his first shot against a defender, then when the ball came back to him took the ball on and tried a more subtle effort which looped over Green, struck the inside of the post, then the keeper before being cleared.
The Hammers, who had largely spent the half giving the ball away somewhat needlessly, were rarely threatening David Stockdale’s goal, although on 22 Lansbury hit a 30-yarder wide.
Abdoulaye Faye went closer for the home side on 25, heading over from the edge of the box after Bullard had headed a right-sided corner away from the six-yard box.
But after West Ham’s brief spell in the ascendency, and with the home fans becoming audibly frustrated, the Blues quickly got back on top, passing the ball around with the slickness of the previous two games. On the half hour, Leadbitter hit a low shot through to Green from the right that the England keeper gathered.
Green saved well from Chopra on 33 after the former Cardiff man made a run from deep on to a Sonko pass. The Blues’ number 10 hit a goalbound right-footed strike on the turn which the Hammers’ keeper did well to push over, the linesman subsequently raising an inexplicable flag for offside.
The home side began to threaten more as the game reached the 40-minute mark, Danny Collins making a superb saving challenge on Lansbury after the on-loan Arsenal man had been fed by Cole. Just before the break, former Hammer Bowyer joined Lansbury in the book for a foul on Joey O’Brien.
Town had had the better of the first period, keeping possession far better than the home side for much of the half.
As at Boro on Saturday, the Blues had created the better chances with Chopra having had the best of them, a keeper again stopping a close range effort from an Edwards cross from the right. Bowyer was also unfortunate not to score with his shot which struck the post.
West Ham had started to show some semblance of threat nearer to half-time with Cole’s physical power the main danger, although with Sonko and Collins largely matching him.
Cole hit the second half’s first shot to Stockdale in the 50th minute with the home side starting the stronger. On 53 O’Brien hit a strike well over.
Town’s first effort of the half was a low Leadbitter shot through to Green after an Edwards throw had been allowed to travel 20 yards across the field five yards outside the area.
The Blues gradually began to get their passing going again and on the hour Scotland ended a long spell of Town possession by shooting over. At the other end, Collins did well to clear ahead of Baldock as he chased the ball into the area.
Lansbury was perhaps lucky not to receive his second yellow card of the game in the 62nd minute for a late challenge on Leadbitter as the Blues’ skipper cleared a corner. The Town players weren’t overly impressed having already been irked by a number of Mr Stroud’s earlier decisions. Moments later, Sam Allardyce replaced Lansbury presumably to prevent the possibility of a further card.
Edwards struck two powerful efforts as the game reached the 70-minute mark, the first deflecting out for a corner and the second flying just the wrong side of the woodwork.
At the other end, Bentley hit a shot which deflected over off Sonko after a dangerous Baldock ball had crossed the edge of the six-yard box. For the Blues, Bowyer almost found Bullard as he broke into the area as the Blues counter-attacked from a West Ham corner.
Sonko did well to dispossess Baldock as the former MK Dons man looked to get on to a bouncing ball inside the box, then a Leadbitter shot deflected wide with chances, or more usually half-chances, starting to come with regularity at both ends.
Cresswell once again went close to his first goal for the Blues in the 83rd minute with a superb 25-yard freekick which Green did well to tip over. Two minutes later, the former Tranmere man sent another strike wide, moments before Nathan Ellington replaced the again impressive Jason Scotland.
The Blues went in front in the 88th minute from a Bullard corner from the left. Andrews superbly headed against the near post and the loose ball fell to Lee Bowyer, who slammed a low shot past Green and his defenders and into the net right in front of the Town support.
Immediately, Bowyer’s cousin and ex-Blues loanee Mark Noble was sacrificed for Julien Faubert, while the Blues added Damien Delaney to their backline in place of Chopra.
In injury time, Jack Collinson hit a low shot to Stockdale, then Collins did just enough to cause Tomkins to head wide at the far post from a corner but the Blues weren’t to be denied and Mr Stroud’s whistle signalled an excellent victory by Paul Jewell’s men.
Town were much the better side in the first half and held firm after the break when West Ham had more of the ball but never matched the flowing football which has been characteristic of the Blues in the last eight days.
Just as Town appeared set for a second away goalless draw in a few days Bowyer’s goal won the day and few could deny that Paul Jewell’s men had been the better side over the 90 minutes.
Town: Stockdale, Edwards, Sonko, Collins, Cresswell, Leadbitter, Bowyer, Bullard, Andrews, Chopra (Delaney 90), Scotland (Ellington 85). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Ainsley, Emmanuel-Thomas.
West Ham: Green, O'Brien, McCartney, Tomkins, Faye, Lansbury (Collinson 65), Noble (Faubert 89), Nolan, Bentley, Baldock, Cole (Carew 65). Unused: Boffin, Bouba Diop. Referee: Keith Stroud (Dorset). Att: 27,709.