Christian: A Great Night

Christian Dailly would like it to be known that his health is sound as a pound and yes, he HAS managed to celebrate his all-important strike against Ipswich - eventually.

Christian doubled up in pain after scoring the crucial second goal on Tuesday evening, and by the time he resumed play the visitors had kicked off so he had to simply get on with it.

"I am absolutely fine and just really pleased to have won last night," he says.

"I actually got caught in the top of the stomach so it took the wind out of me.

"I was lucky enough to get the shot away before I went down - I was on the way down when I shot!

"I didn't get the chance to celebrate, which was a wee bit annoying, but I wanted to get on and win the game.

"I have now by seeing the goal on video - it was a great strike, wasn't it?!"

Christian has taken a few knocks this season and yet he has only missed, as he is rightly proud to tell you, three and a half games of a marathon season.

After the ill-fated Rotherham game he had to scurry around the Millmoor pitch looking for a couple of his teeth - so don't try telling him he is a pampered Premiership star.

He gets on with the job with the minimum of fuss - though he is no dour Scotsman - and shrugs:

"To be honest, it tends to be my face that takes the brunt of most things.

"But I am okay and the boys know I will put myself out for the team."

So he is the best looking player in the team, still?

"My wife thinks so!"

He got some stick from supporters at home to Gillingham after scoring an own goal against Millwall the previous week, and when he had the microphone after the match on Tuesday night he could have been forgiven for getting his revenge amidst the euphoria.

Typically, he didn't, and thanked the fans for their support throughout the season.

"To be honest, I am not like that - I was just pleased to win the game and say my bit, which I meant," he insists.

"And I only had about 20 people have a go at me after that o.g. - the rest were all cheering anyway, so it is no problem."

Maybe it was the fans in the Bobby Moore lower tier that sucked his deflected shot into the net and he adds:

"I have not played in many games with an atmosphere like that - it was a fantastic night.

"With all-seater stadia now the atmosphere does go a little bit, but it just shows you that it can still be there.

"It was unbelievable last night and before the game when everyone was shouting you could feel it go right through your bones; it was amazing."

Christian firmly believes that, with a little luck or not, justice was done and the number of efforts West Ham had on Tuesday would support that view.

"It ended up working out okay, though there was a scare when they hit the post - but over the two games we thoroughly deserved to go through," he says.

Christian had lunch out with his family - at least the teeth were still intact - to reflect on the significance of the win over Ipswich and will enjoy the luxury of a short rest before getting back to work.

"It is very unusual for us to have any days off during the season; we get very few," he says.

"It is a long season but after a game like last night we just have a couple of days' break and we are back in on Friday.

"Then we will start preparing for next week which will be a great occasion."

Of Crystal Palace, who made the playoffs effectively because of West Ham gaining a point at Wigan on the last day of the season proper, he says:

"I think it is going to be a really tough game because they are the team to beat at the moment.

"They have been on a tremendous run; they have carried a bit of luck lately but I think they have earned that."

He has a word of caution, though, and concludes:

"There is no doubt that there is a long way to go before we can say we are in the Premiership, that's for sure."