HAMMERS have won three vital points at the Britannia Stadium,
substitute Bobby Zamora's goal earning West Ham United a
precious 1-0 win over Stoke City.
It was hard-work for Alan Pardew's men, though, the vital
winner coming 78 minutes into a game too tight to call.
Alan Pardew made just one change to the side that drew against
Millwall, Hayden Mullins coming in for the injured Mark Noble.
Jimmy Walker continued in goal, while Teddy Sheringham started his
seventh game in a row.
Stoke City were unchanged from their last outing, a 2-0 win over
Plymouth, and got off to a flying start when Kenwyne Jones muscled
out Elliott Ward and tested Walker with a stinging low drive.
West Ham responded by streaming down the other end of the pitch and
Marlon Harewood squandered a great chance from Shaun Newton's
cross, blasting high over the bar from six yards out when he was in
the centre of goal with only 'keeper Steve Simonsen to beat.
Hammers were enjoying some promising raids down the Stoke flanks,
but it was the home side who had the next noteworthy effort, Darel
Russel shooting well wide after the powerful presence of Jones had
unsettled the West Ham defence.
After its frantic the start, the game settled into a more sedate
rhythm midway through the first-half. Mullins' two chances left
a lot to be desired, blazing high over the bar from 20 yards out,
before a left-foot swipe bobbled harmlessly wide on 25 minutes.
Stoke were fairing far better at the other end, and Hammers were
grateful to two fine interventions from Ward to keep the home side
out. First the big defender threw himself in the way of a vicious
shot, before preventing Noel-Williams' cross from reaching
Jones.
Two minutes later defender Clint Hill went close with a back-header
from Dave Brammer's cross that flew just wide, before Shaun
Newton found himself in a great position inside the Stoke box but
completely missed his kick.
Hammers finally forced Simonsen into a save on 33 minutes, and it
was Anton Ferdinand with the shot. He received the ball from Matty
Etherington's break away and hit an angled drive that Simonsen
stopped safely down low to his right.
The defender had another chance soon after, his header comfortably
saved by Simonsen, but not before Ward had thrown himself in the
way of another blistering Jones drive.
On 38 minutes Harewood forced Simonsen into the save of the half
with a stinging low drive from just outside the area that the
goalkeeper did really well to tip around the post.
Noel-Williams should have done better with a header from Chris
Greenacre's cross five minutes from the interval, before Walker
fumbled a cross allowing Clive Clarke to strike towards the
unguarded goal. But it was Ward again in the way, clearing to
safety and preserving the deadlock as the team's went in for
the interval at 0-0.
HT: 0-0
The second-half began with Stoke again going close. Darel
Russell clipped in a cross, Noel-Williams flicked on and strike
partner Jones just failed to make contact at the far post.
Moments later Russell shot over the bar from the edge of the area
after the Hammers defence had scrambled away Lewis Buxton's
cross.
West Ham had to wait almost 15 minutes for their first opening of
the half, Shaun Newton cutting a swath through the Stoke defence,
but his cross-shot was blocked out by Simonsen at his near post.
Clint Hill came within a whisker of diverting Brammer's
cut-back home, as Stoke looked to capitalise on a promising period
of pressure.
On 72 minutes a raking ball from Russell found Noel-Williams
marauding forward on the right and he fired in a shot that cannoned
off the outside of Walker's near post.
With quarter of an hour left Pards made a double substitution in
attempt to unlock the stubborn Stoke defence, Bobby Zamora and Carl
Fletcher coming on for Tomas Repka and Hayden Mullins.
Zamora's presence immediately added an extra gear to the
Hammers attack. His first involvement was a jinking run across the
edge of the box and a curling shot that whistled just over the bar.
His second was to score the goal that put West Ham United right
back into the Play-off race. It was Harewood who did the damage,
brushing past Hill and crossing low to the back post where Zamora
was waiting to tap in his seventh and most important goal of the
season.
The goal seemed to deflate Stoke's spirit, as Hammers began to
knock the ball around as though a weight had been lifted from their
shoulders.
But with less than a minute left Alan Pardew's world looked to
have caved in when Lewis Neal fired home from 12 yards out. But the
effort was promptly ruled out for an offside flag, Hammers
breathing a heavy sigh of relief.
The final-whistle was given a rapturous reception by West Ham's
travelling faithful, yet again magnificent in their support.
It was West Ham's seventh game undefeated, their fourth win in
five. But more importantly with Reading not playing it closed the
gap between West Ham and the Royals to one point, with three
crucial games remaining.