Despite their late equaliser at Southampton, the 1-1 draw means West Ham have lost ground on the sides immediately above them in the relegation battle.
But with games running out for the Hammers, manager Glenn Roeder is still certain his team will beat the drop.
Unusually for a man whose team is in the bottom three, Roeder was awarded manager of the month for March after his side took seven points from three games without conceding a goal.
And that form -- stretching back to a run of 14 points from seven games -- is a source of renewed hope in the East End.
"We've had four wins in our last seven, and we've taken good points at Southampton and also at Everton," said Roeder.
"We can only go one game at a time but there are six games and 18 points left -- that's a lot to play for.
"I don't need to worry about picking the players up. We've shown that in our second half performance and we are looking forward to Aston Villa next week."
Published Monday, April 7 , 2003
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