Trevor Sinclair's 77th-minute goal gave a vital boost to Hammers' slim hopes of beating the drop -- but a hardworking display offered little to suggest the Irons will pull off the great escape.

For all their dominance of a poor game, there were clear signs of nerves as West Ham repeatedly saw their final balls let them down.

Time and again Steve Lomas, Joe Cole and Sinclair failed to turn good positions into good chances.

And they were fortunate that their obdurate opponents fell some way below the standards required of them going forwards, with Juninho subdued before being withdrawn at half-time.

The goal, when it finally came, was a good one. Glen Johnson, putting in another lively performance from right-back, made a strong run down the wing before checking inside.

He showed the vision and composure of a far more experienced player to pick out the unmarked Sinclair, whose low shot flashed across the face of Mark Schwarzer's goal and in at the far post.

It was enough to win an uninspiring encounter, as West Ham belatedly recreated some of the resolute home form that saw them grind out wins like this at Upton Park last season.

But otherwise Schwarzer was scarcely tested apart from making a smart save to deny Cole after five minutes.

Hammers' only other chance of note came on 64 minutes when Lomas hooked a Les Ferdinand knock-down onto the post from close range and the ball bounced agonisingly across the six-yard box with no-one able to apply the finishing touch.

Published Tuesday, April 22, 2003

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