Half Time: WBA 1 Irons 2

Captain Kevin Nolan scored his first goal since February and James Tomkins grabbed a second right on the break to see the lads produce a remarkable first half turnaround.

The Hammers had started in shocking style – looking like a team who thought the game had started early – such was their annonymity and it was no surprise when they fell  behind to a Dawson header from Gardner’s free kick on 10 minutes.

Sam Allardyce had opted to play Andy Carroll up top, starting both Nolan and Zarate which for a while showed a team caught between cultures.

There was always a temptation to throw it long which usually resulted in Carroll flicking it on to defenders whilst Zarate with ball at feet, always looked a real menace and tested Albion keeper Foster with one humdinger.

The  Baggies had gone ahead after a Tomkins foul saw Gardner deliver a free kick into the area and amid some awful defending Dawson stole in to score.

That slowly woke us up and as we gained some real control the anxiety spread around the home crowd which became serious despair when Nolan headed  home following an acrobatic effort from Carroll from a Stewart Downing free kick.

And in the second minute of added time, Downing’s corner saw Tomkins make amends for his earlier error when he rose to send a thumping header past the stranded Foster almost as the whistle blew.