Alan Curbishley paid tribute to his whole squad including young central defenders Jonathan Spector and Anton Ferdinand for helping achieve "a big result for us" on Saturday.
West Ham United had to come back from Roque Santa Cruz's goal to win it, thanks to Ashton's deft equaliser and a memorable late header from Freddie Sears. While the youngster is rightly getting the plaudits - click here for more - the whole team showed determination to bounce back from a difficult fortnight. "It is a big result for us ... we have all had our say on it but you have got to go out and perform ... I had players out there today - Spector playing at the back - who have all had to dig in again."
While Sears is only 18, Curbishley had 22-year-old Spector and 23-year-old Ferdinand at the heart of his defence. Both impressed and there was little either could do about Blackburn's effort. The manager said: "The first goal that we conceded probably summed us up a little bit. Scotty Parker is running with it, trying too hard and Lucas Neill has run up there to join him. Suddenly we lose it and we are hit on the break. It was a great response from them." Ferdinand had been a doubt for the game with a groin problem but, with Matthew Upson "never going to come through" to play, the young defender was determined to figure.
Curbishley said: "I said to the players before the game, you have got to take criticism. There is only one way to take it and sometimes you are not going to agree with it. Some of what we have been getting is right and there are no complaints about that. But I did call for people to perhaps see the bigger picture that in the summer we brought players in and players left. [Some of the new signings] have hardly played a game. It has been difficult in terms of that but it has made the squad that much stronger."