Forget the magic of the FA Cup, for West Ham the reality of what is likely to be a Championship fixture next season. An indicator that life in the second tier will be no cakewalk. That QPR took them to extra-time will do little for Nuno Espírito Santo’s standing, despite a first win since 8 November. There were, though, positives to take in the performance of Taty Castellanos, the Argentinian striker who scored the Hammers’ winning goal. Have West Ham at last ended a search for a striker that has lasted almost as long as their London Stadium tenancy? They’ve looked everywhere.
The other goalscorer, Crysencio Summerville, who also supplied the assist for the winner, put in one of his better West Ham performances, too. For one cold afternoon only, the Cup could draw a thin veil over Premier League concerns.
Cheap ticket deals, including kids for a quid, meant the stadium was nowhere near as empty as during the midweek loss to Nottingham Forest. Youthful voices roared on their Hammers anti heroes. The contingents from west London were in full voice, too. “We’ll see you all next year,” sang the QPR crew. They have plenty to tell their east London brethren about supporting a club where Premier League dreams fade to a subsistence of hope rather than expectation in the second tier.
