IT was a night for landmarks at Gillingham's frozen
Priestfield Stadium on Tuesday, as West Ham United recorded their
third straight League victory and their third Championship
clean-sheet in a row.
The importance of the 1-0 triumph, courtesy of Marlon
Harewood's 16th goal of the season, was not lost on manager
Alan Pardew.
"This was a big night for us," he insisted, "and it
was a really important result. We had a couple of ghosts to put to
bed, namely three consecutive victories, and we're pleased to
have achieved that, because an unbeaten run at this stage of the
season can be extremely important.
"This conditions were really tough for football and the staff
at Gillingham did a magnificent job just to get the game on.
"We were struggling with injuries. Matty Etherington and Gavin
Williams weren't quite fit and Teddy Sheringham was feeling
stiff after Saturday, so we had to manage the team and sort out a
system that would work with the players that we had available.
"Matty was only ever going to play a half, but his involvement
was important for us and he proved it with one bit of quality that
created the goal for Marlon.
"Gillingham made it very tough for us, though. They've got
a very good manager in Stan Ternent and an honest group of players,
and if they play with as much commitment as they did against us
then they'll have a good chance of staying up.
"They earned their efforts on goal, winning the ball well and
putting us under pressure.
"We had to be really strong, and I was pleased that our back
four kept another clean sheet. Continuity at the back has been a
problem for us all season, but it's settled down now, and again
Anton Ferdinand took charge with a commanding performance.
"Stephen Bywater has also showed his ability in the last few
games, commanding the back four and making the world class saves
that we all know he is capable of.
"Having played so few games the commitment in Steve Lomas'
performance was a tribute to his professionalism, but it was a
strong all round performance and we just deserved to win it."
The freezing conditions certainly didn't dampen the enthusiasm
of the Hammers travelling faithful, who roared Alan Pardew's
men on despite being totally exposed to the elements.
"The fans were terrific," exclaimed Pards. "They
seemed to be enjoying the snow and they were in really good voice.
We know that we've let them down at times this season, but they
made a lot of noise to support us during the game and clapped us
off at the end.
"I'm sure they'll stay with us for a very tough trip
to Leeds and hopefully back us right to the end of the season,
because they really do make the difference."
Speaking of the tricky trip to Elland Road on Saturday, Alan knows
that Hammers will have to be at their best to keep the three-game
winning streak going.
"We've got a really tough game at the weekend,"
admitted Alan. "Elland Road is never an easy place to go and
we'll need to massage a few bodies to try and get them up to
Leeds.
"But we've got important players like Matty Etherginton,
Gavin Williams and Steve Lomas coming back to fitness and with
Teddy Sheringham staying available and maybe one or two other
people coming back we've got every chance of achieving another
very good result.
"Hopefully, we'll get similar support to the Gillingham
game and another win for the fans."
Pards Makes His Mark
23rd February 2005