Curbishley hails matchwinner Sears

Alan Curbishley saluted Freddie Sears’ dream debut as the teenager ended West Ham’s miserable run of results by scoring the winner against Blackburn at Upton Park.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham won 4-0 in the Hammers’ previous three games - but a repeat was ruled out when Dean Ashton cancelled out Roque Santa Cruz’s opener.

With a point each looking likely, West Ham boss Curbishley threw on Sears with a quarter-of-an hour left – and his goal came six minutes later.

Ashton back-heeled in his direction; Brad Friedel parried – but Sears followed in with his head to slide in the winner.

“The goalkeeper saved it, but Freddie didn’t stop – he carried on,” said Curbishley.

“If you stop then it’s lost.”

Curbishley tried a formation in training for the Rovers game, with Sears starting in attack after the teenager had impressed against first-team defenders.

“He tormented them in training,” Curbishley admitted.

Sears thought he was going to start and invited his mother and father to watch the Barclays Premier League clash – but Bobby Zamora took a pain-killing injection for his blisters and was given the nod instead.

After Santa Cruz had headed home the 20th-minute opener, Bobby Zamora set up Ashton’s opener. Without a goal in two months, Ashton spun around Christopher Samba and chipped over Friedel.

Morten Gamst Pedersen missed the best chance of the second period, blazing over, before Sears’ arrival.

The teenager’s goal moved West Ham closer to the pack chasing European qualification, and also reminded Curbishley of a goal early in his career.

“I scored in my second game and was taken home because John Lyall didn’t want me going back on the bus,” he remembered.

“It’s all change now, and Freddie will probably jump in a ’Hummer’.

“He’s got a debut to dream about. Someone said the drinks are on him, but I’m not sure if he can get in the pub.

“He’s been here forever. I saw a bit of him last year, and he’s come on a bundle since pre-season and has been training with the first team. Everyone has to be given a chance.”

The win also relieved some of the pressure on Curbishley, after the trio of heavy defeats led to the West Ham board giving him a public vote of confidence.

“It’s a big result for us, with everything in the last week,” said Curbishley, who had Anton Ferdinand playing despite a groin problem.

“Now we are not far behind Manchester City.

“With the three 4-0s, the pressure and the speculation, we needed to get a result. I wasn’t oblivious to that.

“But there is a bigger picture in terms of where the team was a year ago. I said to the players that you have to take criticism, whether it’s right or wrong.

“Some of it is right – but I called for the bigger picture.”

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes felt his side were disappointing in the second half.

“We allowed West Ham back into a game we felt quite comfortable in,” he said.

“We didn’t seem in danger, without reaching a decent level ourselves.

“Maybe there wasn’t enough drive in our game to see it out and win it. As the away side, you know the home team will put you under pressure – and they capitalised on poor play from us.

“We seem to be the right team at the right time for West Ham – we’ve done it again for them.”