It was a truly heart warming moment for Tomas Soucek when he scored that 27th birthday goal before dedicating it to his grandfather.

Human interest stories rarely work their way into the game but today the Hammer of last year had his near 80 year old grandad in the crowd – making his first appearance at the London Stadium since covid struck.

And he saw his son’s boy grab a goal which pushed the Irons back into the top five five points ahead of this afternoon’s visitors.

It was just the boost Tomas he and the squad needed before their  quest for a second successive European qualification as the business end of the campaign approaches.

Tomas and the team produced a vastly improved performance  with the Czech finding space inside the box at the right time, prodding home from Michail Antonio’s low cross and securing a hard-fought – and deserved – 1-0 success.

Immediately post-match Souček was joiuned by Declan Rice on Sky Sports to give their verdicts on a successful Sunday.

And Tomas said: “This goal is maybe the best gift for what I could do for the fans and everyone. Also for my grandfather, who came here for the first time. He has supported me since my childhood, so this goal is for him. He’s 80 in a week, too!”

“He wanted to come here before but couldn’t because of COVID, but finally he was here so I was happy to give him that gift.”

And Declan said:“I’m delighted for Tomáš. He’s played so many games and so many minutes since he’s arrived.

He’s been outstanding for us and is someone we’ve needed massively. We’ve relied on him – his goals, his defensive ability, he gets up and down the pitch and is great to play alongside. Today was him back to his best, working for the team, interrupting things and scoring a goal.”