The celebrations as West Ham, candidates for a Uefa Cup place at Christmas, finally made sure yesterday that they will avoid relegation, were understandably a little half-hearted. That reflected the unconvincing nature of their performance for most of the afternoon, despite somehow keeping a first clean sheet in 12 games, against a Southampton side that seems to have collapsed since Glenn Hoddle walked out six weeks ago.
The visitors, who have not won in seven games under his successor, Stuart Gray, and have scored just once in that time, had their chances, but it was easy to see why they are enduring a goal drought. Unfortunate to fall behind to Joe Cole just before the hour, they offered little further resistance and conceded again to Paolo di Canio and Fr?ric Kanout?efore the end.It was no wonder that the so-called “lap of honour” for a side that could yet finish as low as 17th, was a little shame-faced. Even when West Ham struggled early in the season, their manager, Harry Redknapp, assured anyone who would listen that they were a “top-six team”. On Boxing Day, when they destroyed Charlton 5-0, they briefly looked the part, but from a high of eighth place at that stage they plummeted downwards, beating only Bradford City and Derby County in the next 16 league games.The famous FA Cup victory at Old Trafford in January helped disguise the decline, as Di Canio’s goal apparently answered criticism of his lack of enthusiasm for testing away games. Now the volatile Italian accuses team-mates of insufficient stomach for a battle, claiming that others have bottled out while he has played on with serious sinus trouble, which will need an operation in the summer.

“I have not lost my passion for the Hammers ­ I feel the West Ham shirt is part of me,” he insisted yesterday.Injuries have undoubtedly had a more detrimental effect than at most clubs, and Frank Lampard, John Moncur, Nigel Winterburn and Ian Pearce were among the absentees for the final home game, as well as longer-term victims Trevor Sinclair and Steve Lomas. Redknapp took the bold option in playing Kanout?nd Svetoslav Todorov in attack, with Di Canio wide, but has not solved the fundamental problem of whether his captain and Cole can play in the same side.Southampton’s equally positive formation made for a lively opening, which they were unable to sustain after James Beattie failed to keep an early header sufficiently low and Shaka Hislop made a smart save from Marian Pahars. West Ham offered only three inswinging corners from Stuart Pearce, dropping just under the crossbar, forcing the Saints goalkeeper, Paul Jones, to kick the third of them away as Kanout?hallenged.There were boos from the home supporters at the half-time whistle and their mood was not improved at the start of the second half by Hislop’s failure to claim a free-kick from the right by Hassan Kachloul, which Kevin Davies headed over the bar. But a fine goal in the 59th minute allowed Upton Park to relax at last, as Kanout?ed Todorov for a sublime back-heel which Cole drove firmly past Jones.Still, the relief was not complete until Di Canio’s goal 11 minutes later.

Lucky to get a favourable rebound as Wayne Bridge challenged inside the penalty area, he capitalised splendidly by sidestepping Claus Lundekvam’s wild lunge and beating Jones. Kanout?nsured a cheerful finish by heading the third goal in stoppage time from Di Canio’s free-kick.Even so, Redknapp admitted: “We need to improve the squad, otherwise it’ll be tough again next year.”West Ham United 3Cole 59, Di Canio 70, Kanout?0Southampton 0Half-time: 0-0 Attendance: 26,041. Football’s end of season is replete with images of distraught footballers who have seen their dreams dashed and for Bournemouth on a cold May day it was no different. Football’s end of season is replete with images of distraught footballers who have seen their dreams dashed and for Bournemouth on a cold May day it was no different.
After Bournemouth had led 3-1 yesterday, when a win combined with Wigan’s draw would have booked their passage into the play-offs, the Reading substitutes Darren Caskey and Nicky Forster, with two minutes to go, denied the Cherries the pleasure of extending their season.To cap it all, Bournemouth’s manager, Sean O’Driscoll, then had the agony of seeing his substitute Stephen Purches have a header cleared off the line with 12 seconds remaining. If it had sneaked in, the south coast team would have crept into the play-offs. Now their dreams of Division One must now wait another year.O’Driscoll admitted afterwards, “there are a few tears in the dressing room,” which was hardly surprising.

The Cherries led from the fourth minute until the 88th, when Forster’s volley from short range put a dagger through their hearts.A run of eight wins in their previous nine games had given Bournemouth a sniff of the play-offs and the chance of returning to the second tier of league football for the first time in 11 years. However, the appearance of two army helicopters on the pitch before kick-off, simply to present the match ball to the Reading chairman and benefactor, John Madejski, should have been ample warning that this was likely to be anything but a run-of-the-mill fixture.Reading, already assured of third place, played like their Bank Holiday had come early, as their defence gifted Bournemouth two goals inside 24 minutes. They failed to clear the danger in their penalty area and Wade Elliott drilled in Bournemouth’s first. Then, 20 minutes later, an Adrian Whitbread header gifted Jermain Defoe a clear run on goal and the prolific West Ham loan striker needed no further invitation to net his 19th of the season for his foster club.Shortly after, Martin Butler curled in a spectacular free-kick, but Elliott restored the advantage with a run and shot that seemed to ensure the Cherries’ place in the top six. But Caskey, with another expert free-kick, and then Forster had different ideas.Reading 3Butler 26, Caskey 72, Forster 88AFC Bournemouth 3Elliott 4, 33, Defoe 24Half-time: 1-3 Attendance: 20,589. Torquay survive, Barnet’s next footballing stop is as uncertain as much of their 10-year tenure of League football.

Torquay survive, Barnet’s next footballing stop is as uncertain as much of their 10-year tenure of League football. It would be good to report that Barnet departed with style and passion, but that would be stretching the point. At the final whistle, it was the Torquay fans who paraded in front of the main stand and the Barnet supporters who had to confront the despair of the dispossessed. Torquay, members of the League since 1927, had history on their side and their survival, on the day, was deserved. Not even the most diehard Barnet supporter ­ and there have been all too few of those ­ could argue with the final result.
By half-time, Barnet knew their fate. So, though there was a nobility in their second-half siege of Torquay’s goal, recovering from a 3-0 deficit when they needed to win to stay in the League was far too tall an order for a team so low on confidence and, for long periods, so short on commitment.Miracles cannot be produced to order.