Deadly Defoe makes it lucky 13 for Hammers

BEAMING Glenn Roeder was over the moon last night after substitute Jermain Defoe cracked a blistering 89th-minute winner against Blackburn to end West Ham’s winless home run.

It was lucky 13 for the Hammers as Defoe, on the field for just seven minutes, sealed a 2-1 victory after a dozen home league games without success this season. The win West Ham's first at Upton Park since beating Bolton 2-1 on May 11 represents a massive boost for Roeder in his battle to keep the club in the top flight.

The jubilant manager, whose side have leapfrogged West Brom at the bottom of the Premiership, said: "My overriding emotion at the final whistle was happiness. Three days ago, we embarrassed ourselves and our football club at Old Trafford (losing 6-0).

"There was a horrible, hideous atmosphere in the dressing room after that game but tonight, the atmosphere was the opposite end of the spectrum." "This was three huge, massive points and we hope they will be the turning point of our season."

Dwight Yorke put Rovers in front with a close-range finish in the 38th minute but Paolo di Canio, on his comeback after two months out with a knee injury, levelled from the penalty spot on 52 minutes after he was tripped by Andy Todd.

And, after Lee Bowyer and di Canio missed late chances, Defoe collected Steve Lomas' diagonal ball, danced in from the left wing and cracked a fizzing strike past Brad Friedel Defoe's goal sparked euphoric scenes at the final whistle, with the 32,000 Hammers fans in the ground saluting their first home Premiership win of the season. Rovers boss Graeme Souness blasted his team's attitude.

"We had too many people who didn't turn up," he said. "We didn't play at all and were nervous, which was hard to understand against a team fighting for their lives. But there were no complaints about their penalty, which tells me it must have been a penalty. So all credit to West Ham. They're a good football club and have too much quality to go down."

WEST HAM: James, Winterburn (Defoe 84), Repka, Pearce, Johnson, Lomas, Cole, Carrick, Bowyer, Les Ferdinand (Kanoute 59), Di Canio (Sinclair 88).

BLACKBURN: Friedel, McEveley (Jansen 90), Taylor, Todd, Neill, Tugay, Flitcroft, Thompson, Gillespie (Johansson 70), Cole, Yorke (Ostenstad 84).