Big Sam backs Hammers to nail it

The npower Championship play-off final at Wembley is widely regarded as the biggest game in club football — but Sam Allardyce says he felt more pressure facing Middlesbrough at home in a relegation battle.

Allardyce will lead his West Ham side out against either Birmingham or Blackpool on May 19 after they completed an impressive 5-0 aggregate win over Cardiff yesterday.

Promotion to the top flight may be worth an estimated £90million to the winners, but ‘Big Sam’ claims he faced a bigger game when he was Bolton boss on the final day of the 2002/03 season.