Taylor targets promotion

Matt Taylor insists it is no time to panic and that West Ham United are still on course to gain promotion from the npower Championship.

The No14 admitted the players were left frustrated following their 1-1 home draw with Doncaster Rovers - a third consecutive stalemate at the Boleyn Ground.

However, the experienced Taylor pointed out that the Hammers are still second in the table and will go joint-top should they win their game in-hand on leaders Southampton.

"It's not time to panic," he told West Ham TV. "I completely understand the fans' frustration because every player wants to win every game he plays in but sometimes you have to grind out results.

"We have eleven games remaining this season and we need to make sure we win as many of those as we can to make sure we get ourselves back into the Premier League.

"Nothing else has changed this season. We still want to get to the so-called promised land and that's what we've got to strive for."

Injuries to Joey O'Brien and Julien Faubert forced Taylor to play at left-back against Rovers and the experienced midfielder produced a decent display in his unaccustomed position.

The 30-year-old was part of a fast start from the Hammers, combining well with Ricardo Vaz Te in the early stages as the hosts went ahead through Kevin Nolan's ninth-minute goal.

However, an injury to Vaz Te was followed by a slowing of the tempo by the home side and Doncaster took advantage to work their way back into the match and equalise through James Coppinger with 17 minutes remaining.

"If I'm brutally honest, we don't kill teams off when we get the chance when we play at home for some reason, and I'm not 100 per cent sure why that is" Taylor admitted.

"Even with the way it's going, we're still second in the league table and that's ultimately our main aim which is to get promoted. If we win our game in-hand [on Southampton] then we're still in a very healthy position.

"We did start very well but we took our foot off the gas. It all comes down to not scoring when we should do and not taking our chances.

"We're not worrying because it's not as if we're not creating chances. We're creating them but we're just not putting them in the back of the net and that, ultimately, is our downfall at the moment.

"I just think we slowed the tempo a bit, if I'm honest. We started the game ever so well and had sustained pressure, then we probably took our foot off the gas too much and didn't pressure them.

"The first 20 minutes we were winning the ball and playing in their half. It became a position where we were not losing the ball, but we weren't playing the majority of the game in their half.

"Let's take nothing away from Doncaster. They did well and Greeny pulled off a great save at the end [from El Hadji Diouf]. We're disappointed but we respect the point and it's another point towards where we want to go."

Taylor insists that the Hammers players need to once more find that winning feeling at home and should relish every chance to play at the Boleyn Ground.

"If you can't enjoy playing football out there then you shouldn't be playing football," he said, with typical honesty. "I don't think it's nerves. You could argue that there is expectation because we're arguably the biggest club in the division, so that comes with it and you have to shoulder that expectation.

"I personally don't think that you can ever be put under too much pressure playing football. It's the best job in the world and you've got to go out and start killing teams off.

"It's not as if we're stood here worried about not creating chances. If we play the way at home the way we've played away from home this season, I don't foresee any problems.

"We've just got to start winning games soon and if we do I would hope and have my fingers crossed that we'll have done enough to secure our position in the top-two."