LONDON'S WEST HAM UNITED MOVED INTO FOURTH PLACE IN THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE FIRST DIVISION AFTER DRAWING I-I WITH SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY AT UPTON PARK, LONDON TODAY (SATURDAY). WEST HAM, WHO ARE HAVING ONE OF THEIR BEST SEASONS IN RECENT YEARS, HAD THE OPPORTUNITIES TO WIN THEIR HOME GAME EASILY BUT THEY WERE TOO CASUAL AND MISSED EASY SCORING CHANCES. SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY HAD THEIR GOALKEEPER, PETER SPRINGETT, TO THANK FOR THEIR LUCKY DRAW AS HE MADE MANY SUPERB SAVES.

BACKED BY AN EXUBERANT HOME-CROWD OF NEARLY 32,000, WEST HAM MADE A DASHING START AND HIT THE LEAD AFTER SIX MINUTES WITH A SPECTACULAR GOAL BY ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL, GEOFF HURST. HURST COLLECTED A HIGH PASS FROM THE SIDELINE AND NOODED THE BALL PAT THE SURPRISED GOALKEEPER, SPRINGETT. THEY HAD MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO SCORE AGAIN BUT IT WAS SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY WHO PUT THE BALL IN THE NET NEXT . AFTER 29 MINUTES THEIR TALL WINGER, WHITHAM, TOOK A BALL IN WHAT WEST HAM THOUGHT WAS AN OFF-SIDE POSITION. THE DEFENCE MADE NO ATTEMPT TO STOP HIM AND HE GLIDED THE BALL PAST GOALKEEPER, FERGUSON, TO MAKE IT I-I, WHICH WAS THE FINAL SCORE.