Before the game it's off to Dace Road to inspect the Hackney Wick flood damage. A few shops have been boarded up by the Old Ford Lock, but it looks like the London Stadium should be safe from inundation for now.
In the stadium we're all over the place thanks to the non-automatic WHU automatic home cup ticket scheme. I'm at the end of row 45, Matt (in his yellow hoodie to match Bristol's away shirts), Nigel and CQ are nearer the corner flag in row 49, Michael is behind the goal in row 67 where he says the view is surprisingly good, and Big Sam has managed to buy one of our proper seats in row 44.
City have brought 9000 fans and there's a good atmosphere amid a sell-out crowd - it's always worth offering cheap tickets for the early cup games. Moyes names his strongest side, bar rotating Fabianski in goal. West Ham are ahead on four minutes. Paqueta plays a great disguised pass over the top of the defence to find Bowen who rounds O'Leary and slots home.
But things start to unravel after 14 minutes when Paqueta pulls up with a recurrence of his knee injury. After playing him against Arsenal and seeing him come off it would surely have been better to rest Lucas for this one. On comes Divin Mubama in a surprisingly positive move from Moyes.
Sam Bell wriggles through on the right to test Fabianski to show it's not all over. West Ham have several chances. A fine run and cross from Bowen sees Fornals force an excellent one-handed save from O'Leary, though Pablo should surely have scored with all the goal to aim at.
A great backheel from Fornals releases Emerson who in turn finds Bowen. His cross is almost poked into his own net by Pring. Next a Ward-Prowse snap shot is tipped round the post by the keeper. Before the break Mavropanos has to go off after an agricultural challenge, which is more bad news for our depleted squad.
Predictably enough Bristol come at West Ham in the second half with Pring shooting wide from a teasing cross. West Ham pay the price for playing a free kick backwards rather than forwards as Emerson hoofs an aimless ball into midfield, Williams gathers and sends a great through ball to Conway who fires crisply intro the corner to the delight of the bouncing Bristolian fans.
Moyes reacts by bringing on Ings, Cornet and Johnson for the clattered Coufal. There are now three strikers on the pitch which might be enough for the convalescing Fraser. Bowen gets in a great cross that is just behind Mubama.
West Ham win a series of corners that are headed away by the resolute City defence. Strangely Mubama, who at times dribbles into trouble, ends up on the right wing as Bowen goes into the centre.The best chance comes when Ward-Prowse's corner is headed down by Soucek. Mubama does well to swivel and shoot, but it's at the keeper's legs. The rebound falls to Ings, who has actually played quite well, only for Danny to fire into the side netting when he should have scored.
The day ends with the worrying sight of Bowen limping off in added time before the whistle blows and it's the replay we don't want. At least Nigel's Cup Final breakfast in Kew is just about still on. Matt, Michael and myself head to the Eagle past a wintry mauve sunset over Stratford.
Matt is preparing for the Tufnell Park film quiz with a whisky and can of Hackney Haze as Sinead introduces us to a peanuts and Tayto crisps combo. Michael and myself advise extensive prepping on auteurs like Paul 'Jean-Luc' Goddard, the class awareness of the Carry On films and the early works of Robin Askwith. Matt leaves me to take one for the team as someone has to finish his East London Pale Ale as he rushes off to play for Temple of Dumb, who finish third out of nine teams.
At least we get a rest now. It's going to be a worrying ten days looking at the treatment table before the replay. Not a disaster, but another game that is stretching the squad even further.
PLAYER RAINGS: Fabianski 6; Coufal 6 (Johnson 5), Mavropanos 6 (Ogbonna 6), Zouma 7, Emerson 6; Soucek 5, Alvarez 5 (Ings 6), Ward-Prowse 6, Paqueta 6 (Mubama 5), Fornals 6 (Cornet 5); Bowen 7.
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