Youngsters Kyel Reid and Zavon Hines rescued West Ham from Carling Cup embarrassment against Macclesfield but the pressure still appears to be on manager Alan Curbishley at Upton Park.

Ian Holloway today hailed the return of England’s potential goalscoring saviour, before admitting he could have done without seeing the evidence of Dean Ashton’s red-hot return first hand.

DEAN ASHTON found his scoring boots in stoppage-time as West Ham squeezed past Plymouth and into the fourth round of the Carling Cup last night.

Under-pressure Coventry manager Micky Adams admits his side will have to be at the peak of their powers to avoid a cup upset at the hands of Bristol City tonight.

Preston are the Coca-Cola Championship’s new leaders after battling to a 1-1 draw with gutsy Coventry at Deepdale.