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The Hammers back in EPL at the expense of the spirited Blackpool


By Debjan Sengupta, Sunday, May 20

After just a year of playing football in the Championship the Hammers are back in the Premier League after a 2-1 playoff victory over Blackpool at Wembly Stadium.


West Ham who were relegated last season, missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season but that disappointment was forgotten as 40,000 fans celebrated a first Wembley win since 1980.

Sam Allardyce, who guided Bolton to promotion via the play-offs at the Millennium Stadium in 2001, said: 'It's probably bettered that because it's West Ham United, with the size of the club and the pressure, and because it's at Wembley.'
'It's the first time I have come here and won - not that I've been here very often.'
'It's been an outstanding, thrilling season compared to where we came from.'

Jubilant Sam Allardyce admitted leading West Ham to promotion back to the Barclays Premier League was the biggest achievement of his career.

West Ham were had already thumped eight past Blackpool over two matches this season and, after a nervous start when Blackpool's front man Matt Phillips missed two glorious chances to give the Seasiders the lead.

Ian Holloway's Blackpool side were more inventive in the early stages and found space in behind the West Ham defence three times in the opening 20 minutes.
Matt Phillips was played through one-on-one 14 minutes in but his tame shot was easily saved by West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green.
Just a minute later Phillips had another glorious chance after bursting into the middle of the box but curled his shot past the post. Carlton Cole struck.
The one-time England forward latched on to Matt Taylor's cross to fire home his 15th goal of the campaign past a hapless Matt Gilks.

But Same Allardyce's men was stunned shortly after the interval when Thomas Ince showed he has inherited his dad Paul's uncanny knack of irritating West Ham's fans when he equalised just after the break.
The winger, whose every touch was jeered by the Hammers supporters who never forgave his father Paul Ince for the manner in which he left the club some 23 years ago, produced a fine finish from Phillips' cross.

With the game evenly poised, Blackpool were the better side for much of the match but could not transfer their second-half dominance into a winning goal.

But as an end-to-end second half reached a climax, Vaz Te was on hand to crash in the rebound after Cole's shot was blocked

Vaz Te's goal secured a narrow win in a match between two teams relegated last season, and earned West Ham a multi-million pound promotion back to England's top flight from the Championship.
Carlton Cole scored the opener for West Ham and he played a big part in the winner, knocking the ball into the path of the onrushing Vaz Te, who lashed his finish into the roof of the net.

Kevin Nolan almost scored for West Ham with an expertly taken volley which crashed off the bar but it didn't account for much because the score line stood as it was sending the Hammers back into Premier League after a year from their relegation.

The Portuguese winger, a £500,000 January buy from Barnsley, looks an even bigger bargain now and with the final whistle most probably has become a fan favorite of the Hammers.


 
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