Hammers boss wants to Curb late forays

Alan Curbishley called for more professionalism from his West Ham players after failing to close out victory and allowing Kevin Nolan to earn Bolton a point in their relegation battle.

Curbishley's men were 90 seconds from a win at Upton Park but chose to attack in stoppage-time, allowing the visitors a last chance to give their small travelling support something to cheer.

"The last thing we wanted with a minute to go was a long throw to go in there with lots of bodies," Curbishley said. "It was a typical Bolton goal."

Nolan punished the Hammers, prodding home when Lubomir Michalik flicked on Jlloyd Samuel's cross after the hosts failed to clear a throw-in.

"We needed a bit of professionalism," said the West Ham manager.

"One or two needed to get their foot on it and run it into the corner. If it had been Bolton, (El Hadji) Diouf would have run it into the corner and attracted a foul."

Bolton had been putting pressure on the hosts after George McCartney had opened the scoring with an acrobatic volley in the 19th minute, his first goal in club football.

Danny Guthrie hit the post, Gary Speed went close after feeding off typical Bolton knockdowns, and Kevin Davies also skimmed the bar with a header. Jonathan Spector also cleared off the line and when it looked like West Ham would be earning a place in the top half of the Premier League, Nolan struck to earn Bolton a share of the spoils.

"You think it's not going to be our day but they kept going and the jubilation you get from that point is terrific," said Bolton boss Gary Megson.

"You have two choices - either the white flag goes up or you keep going. They certainly kept going," he added.