West Ham boss Glenn Roeder is backing his strikers to get his team out of trouble -- despite wasted chances in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa.

He saw his side create a host of great opportunities in the closing stages of the game at Upton Park as his decision to play three up front kept Villa penned into their own half.

But a combination of goalkeeping brilliance from Peter Enckelman -- who also won the man-of-the-match plaudits when the sides met at Villa Park in November -- and wasteful finishing from Jermain Defoe and Les Ferdinand cost the Hammers two precious points.

Roeder admitted Defoe was particularly frustrated by the outcome after scoring in his last two games.

"He will have been a bit disappointed for the rest of the day but when he comes back into training I'm sure he will be OK again," said the boss.

"The time to start really getting worried as a striker is when you are not getting chances at all.

"Jermain had plenty of chances today and you sense that between now and the end of the season he's going to get two or three goals in a game.

"He's a bubbly character and he will be important for the rest of the season."

But the points dropped against a Villa side who have all but booked their Premiership place for next term could prove hugely expensive.

In effect, drawing a home game they should have won has cancelled out the impressive draws at Everton and Southampton, and while the statistics show a six-match unbeaten run they also show just one win in the last four.

Not that Roeder is unduly concerned, as he knows this is his side's best run of form in this campaign.

"When we went to West Brom we were one point behind them -- now we are well ahead of them and that shows what a good run we have had," he said.

Published Monday, April 14, 2003

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