Ashton facing cup woe
West Ham’s £7m (€10.2m) man Dean Ashton is facing FA Cup final D-day after being struck by an injury, which marred his side’s 1-0 win at West Brom.
Tests were set to reveal the extent of the hamstring strain that forced Ashton off after 23 minutes, which it is feared could cost him his place in the Cardiff showpiece.
Hammers boss Alan Pardew said: “The biggest worry is Dean and potentially he could be (a doubt for the final). He felt a twinge in there and when it is your hamstring you have to monitor it.
“Dean was determined to play because there is a bit of pressure in that area over who is going to start. It is one of our areas of strength so that is disappointing.”
Nigel Reo-Coker struck to virtually seal his side’s top-half finish in the Barclays Premiership with a low 41st-minute drive past Baggies keeper Tomas Kuszczak.
But Pardew was left to sweat over his mounting injury worries, with Matthew Etherington missing the game after tweaking his groin during the warm-up.
