Friday 22 May 2015 17:01, UK
James Tomkins says West Ham are determined to beat Newcastle on Survival Sunday – no matter what the consequences may be for their opponents.
Sam Allardyce's side travel to St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon knowing that victory would relegate Newcastle if Hull City beat Manchester United.
However, defender Tomkins has assured Hull’s supporters that West Ham have set their sights on reaching the 50-point mark in the Premier League, which could prove enough to secure a top-half finish.
He told skysports.com: "The coaches and everyone at the club are motivated and we are going to work hard right until the end. We will not let anyone have an easy game, and as players we’ll always give as much as we can.
"We want to get to that 50-point mark which was the target we set at the start of the season and if we can match that it would be ideal, but Newcastle are fighting for their lives so it’ll be a tough game. But they will be expecting a tough game against us and we don’t want to let them down really.
"We want to make it as hard as we possibly can for Newcastle, you cannot be friendly even if the opposition is fighting for their lives. We need to try to exploit their weaknesses and make the crowd uneasy."
That crowd unrest at Newcastle has escalated in recent weeks, with a protest planned to commence in the stadium after the game on Sunday.
And Tomkins is hoping West Ham can use any negativity in the stands to their advantage.
He added: "The atmosphere at St James’ is going to be electric but if we can get on top of them then you will hear some boos and jeers because Newcastle are a massive club with a massive fan base and we just want to put as much pressure on them as we can.
"It’s definitely going to be very edgy and speaking from experience, the crowd will be edgy at that sort of time and they’ll be expecting a lot from their team."
The 26-year-old was part of the West Ham squad that was relegated at the end of the 2010/11 season, as well as being a key part of their instant return the following year.
And he knows what Sunday’s match means to Newcastle and their followers.
He said: "They’re a massive team that certainly needs to be in the Premier League, especially with the supporters they have and the history of the club. It is all against them at the moment, but the league table doesn’t lie and they are down there for a reason.
"It’s going to be a hard game on Sunday for both of us."
James Tomkins was speaking on behalf of Betway, official principal sponsor of West Ham United. Betway offers odds on over 30,000 betting markets, available live and in-play across a huge range of sports.
