Soccer: Reid has tough Premier outing

Only a few weeks ago, Winston Reid could do no wrong as the All Whites made the headlines at the World Cup in South Africa.

Yesterday, his debut in English soccer's Premier League with West Ham United was a little more subdued.

The Hammers started the new season with a forgettable 3-0 loss to Aston Villa at Villa Park, and for the rookie it was a tough introduction.

He was lucky not to give away a penalty for a challenge on James Milner in the first half. In the 88th minute, he pushed a header on goal wide but overall he struggled with the step up to the Premier League.

One English journalist described Villa's Stewart Dowling's battle with the Kiwi thus: "He looked at Winston Reid, who had been set the task of dogging the winger for the afternoon, as he would a piece of chewing gum stuck to his shoe, then treated the New Zealander, on his Premier League debut, like a part-timer."

To be fair to Reid, it was hard for anyone to stand out in a team beaten so comprehensively.

It was a different story for Reid's international compatriot in defence, New Zealand and Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelsen, whose team opened with a 1-0 defeat of Everton.

A third New Zealander in the Premiership, West Bromwich Albion striker Chris Wood, wasn't named in their first match-day squad of the season. His newly promoted team were hammered 6-0 away to defending champions Chelsea.