West Ham United 2 - 0 Cardiff City

Well, it finally arrived. After all the Sky Sports hype and media nonsense, the season started fairly innocuously for West Ham fans. Downing's arrival was welcomed but really all the press was aimed at Cardiff and their rampant return to the Premier league. I for one, was extremely excited about the mighty irons and how they would fare. I was not brought up in a football family you see. My parents came to this country and the football lifestyle was alien to them and my love for it derived from it being a foreign concept. The only football we watched would be what we got on terrestrial tele in the 80's. Going to a football match? That would take time, effort and money and my Dad for one wasn't going to get involved in all that malarkey.

So buying my first ever West Ham season ticket was a huge thing for me. Call it what you want acceptance, understanding whatever but I felt like I was in some elite club when the card arrived on the doorstep. Like a Willy Wonka Golden ticket...as long as we didn't slip up to bloody Cardiff!

I remember watching West Ham lose to Cardiff City in the first game back in the Championship two seasons ago. We had the Real Madrid of the league for that game. Parker, Nolan, Noble all in midfield who absolutely dominated the game. We lost to a late, late goal from that swine Kenny Miller and as I turned the TV off, I still remember the feeling of utter dread - what if we don't come back up?

Thankfully Big Sam sorted us out and we mercilessly dismantled Cardiff in the play-offs on the way to promotion and it was this thought I kept with me as I sat in the queue to get through the Blackwall Tunnel. It seems like every person in the world was trying to get to East London today, but luckily I found a car parking space off Barking Road, much to the disdain of the home owners standing, having a chat outside as I majestically reversed it in. I swear the locals have no idea what is going on. Just once a week, thousands of people come and park outside of their homes, dressed in purple and then bugger off a few hours later.

Anyway, the car was abandoned but Green Street was buzzing.  Fellas taking videos of the hordes with their phones, the whole place a sea of claret and blue. I was sitting in the Trevor Brooking Lower and boy was I rewarded for this decision. The best banter, chants etc. I have ever had at West Ham bar none. The pundits always talk about the ground rocking but today it really was as the teams came out.

Our attention was jolted slightly by a Cardiff fan who elected to set off a flare in the away end. That's right folks, a flare. This caused great amusement amongst the West Ham fans, and the security moved in and quickly ejected the culprits. Thanks for coming.

The game started furiously and West Ham were quite clearly in the ascendency. Lots of chances, threatening from set pieces and the new kit looked bang on! Happy days. Our perseverance was rewarded when the effervescent Matt Jarvis skinned Connolly and powered a low cross into the middle. Joe Cole pirouetted like he was at the ballet and slotted it into the bottom right corner on 13 minutes. 1 - 0. For me, this start could not have been better. I absolutely love Joe Cole and the fact that he looks fit and up for it this year could not make me happier. I remember the year when we went down and he captained the team and played up front, midfield, brought out the oranges, you name it. And he was only a youngster, true West Ham legend in my opinion.

West Ham continued to knock on the door to no avail and in all honesty both teams were a little rusty. Cardiff City looked dangerous on the break, especially through Kim, but Bellamy got booed horrifically every time he got the ball and proceeded to have an absolute shocker. Whats the old adage? If Bellamy plays well, Cardiff play well. Sadly for the travelling support, not today.

The PA system blared out 'Security, Mr. Moon is in the building' a number of times around the halfway mark. God knows what this even means, but my ears were pricked and I was ready for action, whatever was coming my way.

Cardiff started brightly in the second half and for some reason like we always seem to do, we sat back and allowed them to come at us. They had a few good chances but really lacked any firepower in the final third. A bizarre penalty claim for handball, resulted in a chorus of 'handball!' every time a West Ham player passed the ball and when Bellamy was withdrawn for another West Ham old boy Nicky Maynard, Cardiff looked all but beaten. It was nice to see some West Ham fans salute old Bellamy, who did work hard for us when he was here, plus Maynard also got an appreciative welcome to thank him for his efforts in getting us promoted.

'Security, Mr. Moon has left the building.' Thank goodness for that, I can now relax and finish my Bovril in peace. Oh hang on a minute, who is this I see about to come on? None other than Mr. Stewart Downing! He got a warm reception too and it was a shame to see Matty Jarvis come off for him, as the two together could be quite a force when Andy Carroll returns.

Downing started very brightly, had pace and caused a few concerns for the Bluebird's defence. In fact, Downing was at the start of the move that created the second goal, knocking it off to Noble who ran at the Cardiff defenders. He found Nolan in space, who hit it first time into the top left hand corner - game, set and match.

A fantastic goal, well deserved for Nolan who tirelessly works hard for the team. If he is not running at the goalie, he is screaming at Maiga to get in the right position. So all was well, but what ho, yet another PA announcement...'Security, Mr. Moon is back in the building.' Oh Jesus, what are we going to do? And who is this guy some sort of stealth ninja, felling the security team one by one, leaping the pasty stand in a single bound? God only knows, but I for one was keeping a low profile.

So the game was won, Joe Cole was substituted late on, largely to receive a standing ovation from the Boleyn faithful methinks. The only downside was that we really do have concerns upfront. Maiga had one decent chance that went just wide, he did win a few headers but he really is not threatening enough. This does put an awful lot of pressure on Carroll when he returns, so I think Big Sam is going to have to get someone else in.

I was also disappointed not to see Ravel Morrison get a cameo. He has been tearing up trees in pre-season and at 2 - 0 could have been worth a shout. But hey ho, the fans always know best don't they?
Luckily for me, Mr. Moon had left the building once more and I was free to go on my merry way along with 35000 very happy hammers.

Carshalton 1 - 2 Maidstone

So the first post of my West Ham blog commences with a Ryman League match played on a chilly Tuesday night at Colston Avenue. It felt a little bit like a rite of passage or unfinished business as I headed towards the bright lights of the football ground. I remember those lights from the front room of my Wrythe Lane flat and for many years I felt that I should really head around and support the local team but sadly never did. So it took a stop-start trip from the south of Maidstone for me to make my first visit and I was rather surprised to see the number of fans who had made the same journey. In fact it was safe to say that a majority of the crowd were supporting the 'Stones and doing a rather vocal job of it too!

It was a slow-starter dominated by the midfield battle, with Maidstone always looking threatening from the set-piece. Two Maidstone corners forced desperate saves from the wobbly Carshalton 'keeper and it was a Maidstone freekick that broke the deadlock on the 27 minute mark. A Fabio Sariuva low shot was kept out by a desperate Carshalton defense, only to land gratefully at the feet of Frannie Collins who steered the ball into the bottom corner.

Maidstone continued to dominate proceedings and it was a number of defensive mishaps that finally let the Robins back into the game. Miscommunication hampered the Stones defence and what was otherwise a domineering performance from Lee Worgan between the sticks and it was debutant Lee Pidgen who pounced on further defensive frailty, rounded the helpless Worgan and make the game 1 - 1 going into the break.

The second half commenced with more intensity (or so I was told, I was in the process of walking back from my trusty old kebab shop, Kebab World, on Wrythe Lane) and it did appear that Carshalton were indeed in the ascendency. That being said, Orlando Smith continued to be a nuisance with the ball at feet (a lazy bugger when he did not) and the Stones had a number of opportunities on the break.

Maidstone had a creditable penalty appeal turned down when Hollingworth appeared to pull Collins down in the area, much to the vitriol of the yellow and white travelling contingent. The Robins were given a free kick for a similar challenge, which caused a few nervy moments in the Stones defence, but ultimately it was their pacy breaks from their own box that led to the winning goal. It was super-sub Alex Brown who found himself in acres of space down the middle and managed to plant the ball perfectly into the bottom left hand corner to seal the points for the visitors.

Coming to the game as a neutral, being torn between the town I lived in for the best part of my twenties and the place I now call home, I certainly left as a Maidstone United fan. There was something quite alluring about the travelling army which outnumbered and outsung the home fans for a large portion of the match. As the Carshalton players warmed up there seemed to be two distinct camps training seperately. The Maidstone players joined together in a huddle in the build up to kick off. Finally, the quality of the football. From an outsider's perspective, there seemed to be a real continuity in the Maidstone team. Whether it was the trickery of Smith or the pace of Collins, Maidstone always seemed a threat, possibly the reason they see themselves sitting pretty in 4th position in the Ryman League.

In case my allegiance was ever in doubt, it was cemented by a comment from one of the backroom staff in the 'Stones camp. After yet another innocuous challenge, garnered a free kick for the Carshalton goalkeeper, the gentleman in question took great pains to gain the attention of the nearside linesman. "Lino, Lino! Is that how it works here? You get a free kick for being a sh!t keeper?" Rapturous laughter followed and even the poor old lino couldn't help but raise a smile.

Carshalton Athletic 1 - 2 Maidstone United