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PHIL Parkinson took some solace from the fact Wanderers did not crumble completely after going two goals down in half an hour against Premier League West Ham.
The Whites got off to the worst possible start when Angelo Ogbonna headed home Marko Arnautovic’s free kick with only a couple of minutes on the clock.
After riding their luck, Diafra Sakho doubled the Hammers’ lead on the half-hour but a stronger second-half display meant Wanderers only conceded a third late in the game when Arthur Masuaku hit an unstoppable drive into the top corner from 20 yards.
Parkinson refused to be downbeat – and picked out skipper Darren Pratley as one of his key players in the second period.
“The first goal was a cheap foul and then a header in the middle of our goal, which is disappointing and then we’re up against some really talented players – and for a while, we found it tough,” he said.
“But I have to give credit to the lads for their honesty in the second half. We were miles better.
“We got shell-shocked by that early goal and when you’ve got players like Arnautovic twisting and turning, it’s difficult to deal with.
“I think one or two of the lads are a little under-cooked in terms of playing time and looked it but I said to the lads that I’ve played against so-called bigger clubs and gone 2-0 down early on and then gone on to get beat five or six; the lads stuck at their task second half.
“They were led by their captain, Prats, I have to be honest. He gets some criticism from the fans but his attitude tonight was absolutely brilliant, the way he helped Jeff King through the game.”
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic tempered the after-match praise being directed at Marko Arnautovic, saying his £25million signing still needs to improve.
The Austrian was sent off on his Hammers debut but returned to make his first start and create two goals for his team.
"I could have asked for more. I want him to do more. He's got that quality and that something extra," the Croatian said.
"I like him as a player, but sometimes he gets happy with the few things that he does when I want him to push the borders.
"I know what he's capable of and I want him to keep molesting the opposition and never be happy in a positive way. But of course he did the job here.
"After what happened last month, this is the beginning of the comeback for him."
Bilic admitted he would have liked more goals from his side after so many first-half chances went begging.
"We've done the job. It was a really good performance in the first half and the opposition was from the Championship, so it's not like they're bad quality," he said.
"The only thing we weren't happy with was that we didn't score as many goals as we should have done.
"We ended the game with a wonder goal. It was a good night for us in the cup, we're into the next round and kept a clean sheet which is important."
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/15545349.Parkinson__Wanderers_stuck_to_their_task_in_West_Ham_defeat/
The Whites got off to the worst possible start when Angelo Ogbonna headed home Marko Arnautovic’s free kick with only a couple of minutes on the clock.
After riding their luck, Diafra Sakho doubled the Hammers’ lead on the half-hour but a stronger second-half display meant Wanderers only conceded a third late in the game when Arthur Masuaku hit an unstoppable drive into the top corner from 20 yards.
Parkinson refused to be downbeat – and picked out skipper Darren Pratley as one of his key players in the second period.
“The first goal was a cheap foul and then a header in the middle of our goal, which is disappointing and then we’re up against some really talented players – and for a while, we found it tough,” he said.
“But I have to give credit to the lads for their honesty in the second half. We were miles better.
“We got shell-shocked by that early goal and when you’ve got players like Arnautovic twisting and turning, it’s difficult to deal with.
“I think one or two of the lads are a little under-cooked in terms of playing time and looked it but I said to the lads that I’ve played against so-called bigger clubs and gone 2-0 down early on and then gone on to get beat five or six; the lads stuck at their task second half.
“They were led by their captain, Prats, I have to be honest. He gets some criticism from the fans but his attitude tonight was absolutely brilliant, the way he helped Jeff King through the game.”
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic tempered the after-match praise being directed at Marko Arnautovic, saying his £25million signing still needs to improve.
The Austrian was sent off on his Hammers debut but returned to make his first start and create two goals for his team.
"I could have asked for more. I want him to do more. He's got that quality and that something extra," the Croatian said.
"I like him as a player, but sometimes he gets happy with the few things that he does when I want him to push the borders.
"I know what he's capable of and I want him to keep molesting the opposition and never be happy in a positive way. But of course he did the job here.
"After what happened last month, this is the beginning of the comeback for him."
Bilic admitted he would have liked more goals from his side after so many first-half chances went begging.
"We've done the job. It was a really good performance in the first half and the opposition was from the Championship, so it's not like they're bad quality," he said.
"The only thing we weren't happy with was that we didn't score as many goals as we should have done.
"We ended the game with a wonder goal. It was a good night for us in the cup, we're into the next round and kept a clean sheet which is important."
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/15545349.Parkinson__Wanderers_stuck_to_their_task_in_West_Ham_defeat/
