Moyes puts on a brave face

David Moyes was left trying to put a brave face on a very bad defeat in Bristol tonight claiming the Hammers failed to take their chances and lost as a result!

Despite Danny Ings, Maxwel Cornet and Tomáš Souček all going close they were beaten by a Tommy Conway goal and departed the second domestic Cup competition in a tie we should surely have expected to win.

Given the idiocy of Said Benrahma who kicked out after a Joe Williams challenge the ten man Hammers looked unlikely to make their pressure pay and so it turned out despite those opportunities..

One positive for the boss to reflect on was a senior debut for Northern Ireland youngster Callum Marshall, as he told West Ham TV at the final whistle.

He explained afterwards that we really should have won the game at the London Staidum but instead put ourselves under a lot of pressure in a replay at Ashton Gate.

He said: We gave away a goal with a short pass, but we should have been in to score – we overhit a pass for Danny Ings to score in the same action – and it was a calamity in that minute.

We had good periods and good control in the game, but we couldn’t take our chances when we got them.

Tonight’s not about blaming anybody, tonight is about us as a team and a Club. We should have got the job done at London Stadium and even tonight I felt as it we would still have enough to get it done.

We had enough chances to get something, but the games are tight. We’ve won a few and drawn a few tight ones, but tonight was tight and it went against us.

We still made some chances after the red card. We kept trying to find a way of being a team who could attack and get something from it. We, for a good chunk of it, did a good job. They had a few openings later on when we were trying to find ways of getting it.

[Being] down to ten men and a goal down made it difficult. Let’s be fair, we had been the better team in the first half even though we hadn’t scored, and I was hoping our play would continue in the second half and we would score, but when we went to ten men [so soon after half-time] it made it nearly impossible.
I’ve been really impressed with Callum Marshall. We want to bring him on and nurture him in the right way. He’s a great lad who scores goals and he’s a lover of football, which I really like, because it means he wants the ball and wants to play the game. He’s a good boy.

David Moyes gives instructions from the touchline at Bristol City

Those Academy boys have really impressed me. But there is a huge step from playing in the Academy and doing well to playing in the Premier League and doing well. It’s an incredible journey to make that but I’m glad that we’re trying to get some of them game time. I’m pleased we’re getting some of them nearer the first team.