Pre-Season Friendly: Cork City 2 West Ham 6

West Ham kicked off their pre-season preparations with a convincing 6-2 win over Cork City on Sunday.

Alou Diarra and Joe Cole both got on the scoresheet before the break, but the Hammers’ lead was cut to one just before the break when Adam Rundle netted.

However, further strikes from Matt Taylor, Paul McCullum, Mark Noble and Ravel Morrison in the second half secured an emphatic win, with Gearoid Morrissey grabbing a late consolation for Cork.

Sam Allardyce named a strong team for his side’s first pre-season friendly ahead of the 2013-14 campaign, with the likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen, Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan all featuring.

And it did not take long for the Premier League side to emphasise their class, as Diarra nodded home a Cole corner with just five minutes on the clock.

Cole then got a goal of his own just 13 minutes later, latching on to a perfectly weighted Nolan through-ball to prod home and put the visitors 2-0 up.

Cork City fans may have prepared themselves for one-way traffic ahead of the game, but they were given something to cheer just before half-time as Rundle curled in brilliantly from distance.

Allardyce made 10 changes during the break, but West Ham appeared to have lost no fluency as Morrison won a penalty with just 35 seconds having elapsed in the second half.

And, though Noble would go on to miss the subsequent spot-kick, the London club would get their third on the hour courtesy of a 25-yard strike into the bottom corner from Taylor.

Just 10 minutes later, Allardyce’s side would carve out a 4-1 lead, McCullum rising highest to head home a cross from the wing from Ricardo Vaz Te.

Noble then atoned for his earlier error by sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot after a handball on the line gave him a shot at redemption with 73 minutes gone.

And there was still time for yet more goalmouth action, as Morrison stroked the ball home inside the box in the 86th minute before Morrissey grabbed his late consolation from close range just 60 seconds later.

West Ham will face Boreham Wood in their next pre-season friendly, which takes place on July 10.