HAMMER BLOW

West Ham United were dealt a blow with the news that Stewart Downing admits as much as 10 weeks of action after suffering a huge cut in his calf.

However, manager Sam Allardyce is pleased to report that the injury is not as severe as initially feared and that the midfielder is more likely to miss around four weeks of action. Even then it will be a huge blow for the team, who are fighting against relegation. West Ham have found it difficult to score goals this campaign and it has largely been due to injury to Andy Carroll.