Pardew only has eyes for cup
West Ham snatched a last-gasp victory at Wigan to keep their Premiership season burning bright – but FA Cup glory is all that matters for manager Alan Pardew.
The Hammers produced a come-from-behind performance to claim a 2-1 win at the JJB Stadium just when it appeared as if a cup hangover was on the cards.
Wigan winger Lee McCulloch had put his side in front with a stunning 25-yard strike in first-half injury time, deservedly so as the Latics had shaded the opening 45 minutes.
The visitors had looked slow and ponderous, perhaps unsurprising after the euphoria of reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup with victory at Manchester City on Monday.
That was exacerbated by yesterday’s plum draw when they were handed a last-four showdown with either Charlton or Middlesbrough, avoiding the big guns in Liverpool and Chelsea.
Henri Camara should have put the game out of sight early in the second half, and it proved costly as West Ham launched an immediate counter, with Marlon Harewood capitalising on a mix-up between substitute goalkeeper Mike Pollitt and centre-back Paul Scharner.
With a draw looking likely, the Hammers then stole all three points when captain Nigel Reo-Coker popped up in the six-yard box to tap home a low cross from substitute Teddy Sheringham with virtually the last kick of the game.
“The win on Monday and the draw, followed by this result, it has been a fantastic week for West Ham,” said Pardew.
“Although after the first half I wasn’t feeling quite as punchy as I am now because I was very disappointed.
“That was reflected in the dressing room, not just by myself but by some of the players. It wasn’t good enough for us.
“You could see the hangover in the first half, but in the second we were more like ourselves, and this was a great win for us.
“But at the moment we have achieved nothing other than showing fantastic potential.
“We have hit one major goal in staying in the Premiership, and now there’s a chance of glory and as a team we have to grasp that opportunity that is right in front of us.
“The FA Cup is a chance to win a trophy. Sixth or seventh place in the Premiership doesn’t really enthral me as much as winning a piece of silverware for this great club.
“But we know the bread and butter of what we are all about is in the league.
“Our supporters made that very clear last week after the defeat at home to Portsmouth, that they won’t accept any performance below the level, and rightly so.”
Wigan came into the game on the back of successive 1-0 away wins at Sunderland and Manchester City, but it is their home form that is now becoming a major concern for manager Paul Jewell.
The Latics have lost five and drawn one of their last six league games in front of their own fans since the 4-3 win at home to Manchester City – and that was on Boxing Day.
Recognising that, Jewell said: “We’ve not been great at home since the turn of the year.
“It’s something that needs to be addressed for next season because it’s going to be a lot tougher than this one – if that’s possible.
“We are eighth in the table and we have done brilliantly, but our goal difference this season is minus two.
“That means we are either conceding too many goals, or not scoring enough, or maybe a bit of both.
“Other than the four we scored against Manchester City and the three against Charlton Athletic, we have found it a struggle to score goals at home but we knew it would be difficult coming into this league because the hardest thing in football is putting the ball in the back of the net.
“But we are actively trying to improve the squad for next season, although I will only bring players in that will improve the squad. I don’t want to play the numbers game.”
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