A massive half time dressing down by Sam Allardyce was the key to a fabulous Irons comeback according to Stewart Downing.

The winger Stewart Downing, who created the first and scored the second to inspire a comeback from 2-0 down for the newly resilient Hammers.

He revealed: “The manager gave us a rocket a half-time, but I’m sure he would be happy with a point at the end of that.

“We would probably have lost that game last season by two or three goals. But if you can pick up points on the road when you are not playing well, that’s always a bonus.”