Vaz Te helps get Hammers back on track

Second-half goals by Ricardo Vaz Te and Gary O’Neil helped West Ham make their game in hand count to bounce back to winning ways.

Despite heading into the game – which was postponed due to weather on 11 February – unbeaten in ten matches in the npower Championship, the Hammers had drawn their last five, equalling a club record.

But two goals in the space of six minutes early in the second half put the Hammers in control as they moved to within one point of second-placed Reading with their 11th away win of the season.

They took the lead in the 51st minute when former Hibs forward Vaz Te headed home a Matt Taylor delivery and then O’Neil doubled his side’s advantage with a brilliant curling effort from 25 yards, his second goal for the club.

Elsewhere in the Championship, former Aberdeen striker Chris Maguire was on target again for Portsmouth as the Scot – on loan from Derby County – scored the first goal in a 2-0 win over Hull City at Fratton Park.

Nottingham Forest picked up another priceless point in their battle to beat the drop with a 0-0 draw at Leicester, while former Motherwell man Lukas Jutkiewicz gave Middlesbrough the lead at Ipswich, only former the Tractor Boys to fight back for a 1-1 draw.