Jelavic rescues shaky Hammers to usher in another tough period

Nikica Jelavic's sumptuous 85th minute winner against Wolves rescued West Ham from a likely draw and, most importantly, a midweek trip to Wolverhampton.

Alrticle by Liam clarkson

An unnecessary game of football is something the Hammers could do without for now. This week, they must take the longest trip between two away ties in the space of five days.

On Tuesday, a match against the plucky southerners of Bournemouth awaits before the tie against Newcastle kicks off on Saturday at the opposite end of the country.

Neither of these games will be easy for the Irons, despite their reputation for great efforts on the road this season.

Yes, the club have done extremely well this season to defeat Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Crystal Palace on the road this season, but these wins in fact make up the entirety of their away wins for this campaign.

Overall, their away record in the Premier League so far stands at four wins, three draws and two defeats. Solid for sure, but hardly a team specialising in away fixtures.

In fact, the Irons haven't won an away fixture in five matches, making three points on Tuesday night a very high priority.

Slaven Bilic will certainly have not underestimated the Cherries, especially given what transpired the last time he battled Eddie Howe's men.

In an incredible game in Round Three, Bournemouth snatched their first ever Premier League points in a stunning 4-3 win at Upton Park.

On that day, Callum Wilson scored a brilliant hat-trick. There will be no chance of that this week, as he remains sidelined with a serious knee injury.

Bournemouth have already been busy gaining replacements though, nabbing Roma forward Juan Iturbe on loan and agreeing a fee for Wolves striker Benik Afobe. The former is a good chance of playing, while the latter has not yet been officially transferred.

Regardless of the team Bournemouth field though, West Ham can guarantee that they will provide a hefty challenge. The Cherries' spirit and passion has been something to behold this season, especially at their beloved Vitality Stadium.

For West Ham, they will have to make the most of Slaven Bilic's risky decision to rest the majority of his first team players against Wolves, which ultimately paid off.

The Hammers certainly have the better squad on paper, but the great leveller of home advantage for the underdogs means that we should be in for an excellent match on Tuesday.

As for the Newcastle game, I will wait until Thursday to assess the form of each side. Until then, Come On You Irons!

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