June 1, 2005

WEST HAM BACK UP WHERE THEY BELONG

West Ham United secured their return to the English Premiership with a 1-0 victory over Preston North End in the Football League Championship promotion playoff final. West Ham's Bobby Zamora turned in Matthew Etherington's cross in the 58th minute for the only strike of a tense, nervy affair. Preston, featuring American winger Eddie Lewis who had rushed back from injury to take part in the match, can take heart in the achievement of reaching the final itself after a horrible start to the campaign had left them more worried about the prospects of League One football rather than the giddy heights of promotion. Still, the mental, physical and financial pain inflicted by the loss, Preston's second in the playoff final in four attempts, will sting for months. The victors, West Ham, can now focus on the daunting task of just staying in the top flight of English football. Crystal Palace, the 2004 playoff winners, struggled for most of their campaign but missed out on staying up by a single point. West Ham are one of the most feverishly supported sides in England and their fans deserve topflight football, something they've lacked since their shock relegation in 2003, when a side that featured current Premiership stars Jermain Defoe, Fredi Kanoute, Michael Carrick, David James and Joe Cole could do no better than 18th place. West Ham will join Sunderland and surprising Wigan Athletic as the new boys in the 2005-06 Premiership. The challenge of staying up starts today. WEST HAM BACK UP WHERE THEY BELONG West Ham United secured their return to the English Premiership with a 1-0 victory over Preston North End in the Football League Championship promotion playoff final. West Ham's Bobby Zamora turned in Matthew Etherington's cross in the 58th minute for the only strike of a tense, nervy affair. Preston, featuring American winger Eddie Lewis who had rushed back from injury to take part in the match, can take heart in the achievement of reaching the final itself after a horrible start to the campaign had left them more worried about the prospects of League One football rather than the giddy heights of promotion. Still, the mental, physical and financial pain inflicted by the loss, Preston's second in the playoff final in four attempts, will sting for months. The victors, West Ham, can now focus on the daunting task of just staying in the top flight of English football. Crystal Palace, the 2004 playoff winners, struggled for most of their campaign but missed out on staying up by a single point. West Ham are one of the most feverishly supported sides in England and their fans deserve topflight football, something they've lacked since their shock relegation in 2003, when a side that featured current Premiership stars Jermain Defoe, Fredi Kanoute, Michael Carrick, David James and Joe Cole could do no better than 18th place. West Ham will join Sunderland and surprising Wigan Athletic as the new boys in the 2005-06 Premiership. The challenge of staying up starts today.