Victory at Last

The West Ham faithful gave under fire manager Alan Pardew the reassurance of a tremendous reception before the crucial game against Blackburn Rovers at Upton Park and his players responded with a courageous display to earn a 2-1 victory and bring an end to the record run of successive defeats since the Hammers beat Charlton Athletic on the opening day of the season.

It was an occasion that called for character as well as technical ability and Pardew was wise to turn to the midfield which had served West Ham so well last season and the invaluable experience of 40 year old Teddy Sheringham up front.

Sheringham, in particular, was an inspiration. He showed vision, composure and awareness throughout and when Benayoun produced a pinpoint cross in the 20th minute, his perfect header inside the near post gave the home side a deserved lead and an injection of confidence.

Inevitably, Blackburn came back at the Hammers and in the second half there were some nervous moments, even after Mullins had bundled in the second goal. But the defence, with Robert Green outstanding, stood firm until McCarthy’s late strike was parried into the path of David Bentley, who brought Blackburn a consolation goal and the Hammers a frantic last few minutes