West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola says their draw at Everton is down to the support of his backroom staff.

Zola hailed his coaches after their courageous 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.

He told whufc.com: "We didn't give up and this was a perfect example. I am delighted for my staff. This week, Steve Clarke, Kevin Keen, Antonio Pintus and Kevin Hitchcock have been working hard with the players - to keep them together, to cheer them up and to organise them. They did a brilliant job. I want to share everything with them."

Zola was questioned in some quarters for giving his players a break but he was adamant.

"It was very important. It was massive. They had played three tough games in seven days - three defeats. You can imagine what the condition was. It was necessary for them to go and clear their minds and then come back to train hard."

Revealing that the dressing room atmosphere afterwards was "fantastic", Zola said there was a resolve that has him confident in the chances of avoiding relegation.

"Sometimes we have made mistakes but we have been together. All the criticism has probably made us stronger. We were together but it has made us stronger.

"We are very much into [what we have to do]. No doubt about it. Getting a draw was very important because it will give morale, strength and confidence for the next match we are going to play on Saturday."