McNamee goal dumps Hammers out

12 April 2012

Anthony McNamee's overhead kick late in the first half was enough to dump woeful West Ham out of the FA Cup and book Watford a place in the fifth round.

There was no magic of the cup on show at Upton Park. It was a dire game and Watford progressed after spending the entire second half defending a precious lead.

West Ham had all the possession but lacked any creativity and bowed out with a whimper, as a shadow of the side that graced last year's final at the Millennium Stadium.

Boos rang around the ground, and manager Alan Curbishley was taunted with chants of 'You don't know what you're doing'.

It was the Hammers who started with more conviction and Bobby Zamora struck the bar in the first minute after Carlton Cole had harried Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster into conceding a corner.

Watford had the ball in the net, but Damien Francis' strike from Malky Mackay's downward header was ruled out for offside.

Nigel Quashie tested Foster with a low, first-time strike from 25 yards and the goalkeeper then denied Shaun Newton with a brilliant reaction save.

The hosts were almost punished for a careless clearance from Luis Boa Morte - which sliced off his boot for a corner - but Cole managed to clear off the line.

Having saved the Hammers at one end, Cole came within inches of scoring the opener at the other with a 25-yard shot which curled just wide of Foster's far post. But it was Watford who broke through, after taking advantage of some predictably calamitous defending in the West Ham box.

Goalkeeper Roy Carroll rose above Christian Dailly and Darius Henderson but missed his punch - and the ball fell to McNamee, whose overhead effort beat the retreating Spector.

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