Hammers always thought Ashton a safe bet

Alan Pardew never believed he was taking a gamble when he landed Dean Ashton for £7.25m (€10.5m) during the January transfer window.

There were many who did proclaim the West Ham boss had paid over the odds for England U21 star, but the critics are pretty quiet now.

Ashton’s double at Manchester City last night took his tally to five in seven games for the Upton Park outfit and, more importantly, swept them into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 15 years.

“Everybody said it was a gamble but we didn’t think so,” said Hammers assistant boss Peter Grant.

“Dean is a young man with fantastic ability. We have been watching him ever since he was at Crewe.

“There is a pressure, which comes from the price tag, but he has handled it fantastically well and just let his feet do the talking.”