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Craig Dawson spared West Ham\u2019s blushes as they progressed to the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over non-league Stockport at a sodden Edgeley Park.<\/p>\nCraig Dawson spared West Ham\u2019s blushes as they progressed to the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over non-league Stockport at a sodden Edgeley Park.<\/p>\n
The driving rain left the pitch resembling a mud bath at full-time and largely negated the gulf in class between the sides, with Stockport having a couple of half-chances to claim one of the round\u2019s biggest upsets.<\/p>\n
But the Premier League side, 86 places above their Vanarama National League opponents, avoided a giant-killing as Dawson headed home from Jarrod Bowen\u2019s right-wing cross seven minutes from time.<\/p>\n
David Moyes had made five changes to his line-up from the Premier League win at Everton on New Year\u2019s Day, with with Ben Johnson, Mark Noble, Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio all drafted in.<\/p>\n
But it was still a line-up comprising of seven internationals against a side who had reached this stage of the competition for the first time since 2007, and with Wayne Rooney\u2019s younger brother, John, in their ranks.<\/p>\n
They showed plenty of resolve, especially at the back to snuff out several Hammers forays, but their attentions will now turn to a return to the Football League.<\/p>\n
The hosts were largely camped in their own half early on and almost fell behind when Said Benrahma chested down a cross, shimmied to find an opening before shooting against the outside of the post.<\/p>\n
A fireworks display at one end of the stadium brightened up a gloomy night but the deafening noise brought the game to a brief halt, and thereafter the visitors lacked a spark despite creating several opportunities.<\/p>\n
Yarmolenko let fly from distance but missed the target, while West Ham were given a scare when goalkeeper Darren Randolph\u2019s punch from a corner flew behind him, only for one of his own defenders to bail him out.<\/p>\n
The tricky conditions were encapsulated when Ben Hinchliffe spilled a routine shot from Lanzini, although the Stockport goalkeeper gratefully gathered at the second attempt with no West Ham player able to follow-up.<\/p>\n
Lanzini\u2019s effort from the edge of the box was the only one of West Ham\u2019s seven attempts that were on-target in the opening 45 minutes, although Antonio twice failed to make the most of being put through.<\/p>\n
On the first occasion, Antonio was unable to cleanly collect Yarmolenko\u2019s precision ball down the middle and was then denied by Mark Kitching\u2019s superb last-gasp challenge as he shaped to shoot following Lanzini\u2019s pinpoint pass.<\/p>\n
The pitch was becoming increasingly unpredictable, with the ball routinely stopping in surface water, which was proving something of a leveler for Stockport, who were more of an attacking force after the interval.<\/p>\n
After Connor Jennings saw his shot hacked clear, Richie Bennett was introduced in place of the subdued Alex Reid and nearly made an impact, dispossessing last-man Dawson, only for a wayward pass to end the opportunity.<\/p>\n
At the other end Benrahma fluffed an attempt from a narrow angle after Hinchliffe slipped while attempting to clear, while the Stockport custodian missed an attempted punch before using his feet to clear.<\/p>\n
By this stage West Ham were on the front foot, and a short corner was worked to Bowen, whose cross from the right was glanced into the net by Dawson as the deadlock was finally broken in the 83rd minute.<\/p>\n
Stockport offered little to suggest extra-time might be on the cards as West Ham comfortably held on to set up a fourth-round tie against Doncaster.<\/p>\n