FA Cup 5th Round: West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers - Peter White's big match preview

THIS time last year, West Ham boss Harry Redknapp was wondering where his next goal was going to come from.

Stuck in the Premiership's drop zone, booted out of the two major cup competitions by Wrexham and Stockport, the Hammers had managed just three goals - one of them from an opposition defender! - in eight games.

The popularity of these particular East Enders was plummeting faster than Phil Mitchell falls off the waggon.

But, 12 months on, the transformation is complete.

European qualification, through a lofty League position, is on the cards, West Ham aim to make it to the quarter finals of the FA Cup at Blackburn Rovers' expense tomorrow and the goals - well, they are flying in from all angles.

It is the extra firepower - plus an injection of young blood - that Redknapp and his assistant manager Frank Lampard believe is largely responsible for the turnaround.

West Ham weren't even averaging a goal a game at a similar stage last season but in came John Hartson and Paul Kitson to spark a dramatic recovery.

A multi-million pound investment paid off as Kitson finished as leading League scorer with eight goals from only 14 matches.

And Hartson contributed five with the Hammers hauling themselves away from the relegation places.

This season, Hartson has been the man with the magic touch in front of goal, scoring 19 times in League and Cups.

Recovered from injury, Kitson too has begun to contribute again.

But it is not just the strike pair who have restored hope of honours on two fronts to the Upton Park faithful.

New names, one sounding familiar, have started to emerge as Redknapp's blueprint for success, rather than mere survival, takes shape. "At this stage last season, you could not see who was going to score for us," said the Hammers boss.

"But in players like John Hartson, Paul Kitson, Eyal Berkovic and Frank Lampard we now have a goal threat from four different positions.

"They are always likely to pop up and score and we suddenly have goals in the team."

Redknapp's boast is no idle one, for Berkovic has contributed seven goals from midfield and Lampard eight, including a hat-trick in the Coca-Cola Cup against Walsall as West Ham charged to the quarter finals before succumbing to London rivals Arsenal.

The manager has a theory about players getting into a good run of picking up goals, pointing out: "People who don't score, never score.

"But those who do score, make a habit of it," he added.

Following last Saturday's win at Newcastle, courtesy of a stunning strike by left back Stan Lazaridis, the Hammers have genuine ambitions of chasing a UEFA Cup place, as well as a share of FA Cup glory.

And assistant manager Frank Lampard, father of West Ham's 19-year-old midfield prodigy of the same name, insists Europe must be the target for a team which has changed from ageing to emerging.

"When I came here three years ago, the average age of the squad was about 30," he explained.

"People like Alvin Martin were here and other players at the tail end of their career.

"But, with a bit of wheeling and dealing and thanks to our youth system, we have brought the average age down to something like 23, which stands us in very good stead for the future. "We have a young team who are eager to do well. They want to work and they have the ability to go a long way.

"This is an exciting time for us. Now that we are in the top half of the table we don't want to settle for anything less than a place in Europe.

"We must be ambitious and aim to finish in the top six."

Last weekend's Tyneside turnover excepted, it is West Ham's outstanding home form which has taken them so far in the Premiership.

And they will be relying on it to claim a place in the last eight of the FA Cup tomorrow.

With much justification, Redknapp added: "Our home form at the moment is terrific and the fact that we are a young team is a bonus."

The task facing Rovers tomorrow is summed up by the Hammers' 13-match home run which has seen just one defeat at Upton Park - in the Coca-Cola Cup last month.

What odds, however, on the team with a home record to match anyone in the Premiership suffering a double knockout in front of their own fans?

Down the years

ROVERS and West Ham have been paired four times in previous FA Cup competitions, the last time in 1965-66 when Rovers won an Ewood replay 4-1. John Byrom scored a hat-trick at Upton Park and Andy McEvoy got three goals in the replay.

Past FA Cup encounters, Rovers' scores against West Ham are:

1910-11 round 4 away, won 3-2; 1947-48 round 3 home, drew 0-0 aet replay away, won 4-2 aet; 1955-56 round 5 away, drew 0-0, replay home, lost 2-3 aet; 1965-66 round 4 away, drew 3-3, replay home, won 4-1.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.