Big Sam takes positives

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce insists Saturday's 1-1 draw at Leeds was not a 'slip-up' in the race for Championship promotion.

Warnock disappointed to see Leeds held late on

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce insists Saturday's 1-1 draw at Leeds was not a 'slip-up' in the race for Championship promotion. With the top two of Southampton and Reading both winning, the ever-changing promotion picture was not looking kind for the Hammers when Luciano Becchio gave in-form Leeds an 83rd-minute advantage. But with just seconds remaining on the clock, loan defender Danny Collins nodded in a Mark Noble corner to earn West Ham a damage-limiting point that extended their unbeaten run to eight games.

No slip-up

Five of those games have been draws, though, with United's home form particularly questionable and, with that in mind, Allardyce was not too disappointed to escape with another one-pointer on the road. "It's not a slip-up for me," he said. "It's a slip-up in the home games against Palace, Watford and Doncaster. That's been the crux of our slip-up. We are eight undefeated, but there have been too many draws. "Today, when Leeds scored we were in our best spell of attacking. It was unfortunate that we slipped up, but we came back, got the draw and have to accept that it's a good point." The Upton Park side are now five points behind leaders Southampton and three shy of second-placed Reading, but automatic promotion is still very much an option, according to Allardyce. "We're all a little bit edgy because of what we've allowed to happen, but we're confident we can take the final step and start winning more games than we draw," he added. "It boils down to us knowing the sort of total we need, and that's 90-plus to get automatic (promotion)." Collins' goal was just the second Leeds have conceded in Neil Warnock's five games in charge, but it could perhaps be one of their most costly of the season. A win would have put them right in the thick of the play-off picture and, although they remain peripheral contenders, with a five-point deficit to claw back over nine games, their odds are long. Warnock, though, was more concerned about the way in which his side conceded, believing there to be a foul in the build-up. "I can't ask any more, they've given me everything," he said. "I said to the referee: 'When you watch Carlton Cole blatantly push Darren O'Dea over, you've got to see that'. O'Dea was going to head the ball and then you're left with Collins against Paul Robinson and Robert Snodgrass.

Foul

"He said he was concentrating on the line, but he's got to see that. He's headed the ball from where the foul was. "But West Ham wouldn't have conceded a goal like that. They would have grabbed each other by the shirt and made sure they didn't. "Since I've been here we should have won four out of five. We dominated Southampton and should have won today. We've dominated two of the best sides in the league and got one point. "You've got to win games like that, I can't remember ever being this disappointed. I probably have, but I can't remember."