Downing hails team effort



Stewart Downing had praise for his teammates after West Ham United battled to a 0-0 draw at Southampton on Wednesday night.

The Hammers had to swim against the tide to make their point, after Adrian was shown a red card in the 61st minute for handling outside his area, then Andy Carroll became a virtual passenger when he picked up a knee injury with all three substitutes having been deployed.

Despite those set-backs, the Hammers held out to earn a scoreless draw at St Mary's for the second year in a row and Downing was happy with that outcome.

He explained: "With the red card and Andy getting injured towards the end, we knew we would have to defend because they're a good team who pass it around.

"We did that very well and it was a big point for us in the end.

"Jussi came on and made some good saves - when he's called upon he's always there, so well played to him.

"The injury was disappointing for Andy, but hopefully it's not too bad and we can get him back as quickly as possible.

"He felt it the other day when he got a knock on it at Liverpool, so it's unfortunate that he came on and got another bang on it."

The point represented a second successive draw for the Londoners, but one which felt more rewarding than Sunday's against Manchester United.

Downing added: "We were disappointed to draw against Manchester United on Sunday, because we thought we should have won the game and because of the way we conceded.

"But on Wednesday, overall we'll take the point. Coming into the game we were confident we could get the win, but it wasn't to be."