THERE WAS every danger of this match being the one that got in the way of the semi-final.

Gordon Strachan and his players clearly wanted to win this game and tried their hardest to.

But the atmosphere around the ground, from the fans and even on the big screens which advertised cup merchandise, suggested most minds were elsewhere. Villa Park to be precise.

In fact you need to praise the Saints players for taking this game so seriously and that probably shows how far their league ambitions stretch.

You could have forgiven them for shirking tackles and pulling out when it seemed they might get hurt, but they didn't.

Physically they put their bodies on the line but mentally it must have been much more difficult.

Every player on that pitch knew that in eight days time they were going to play the biggest match of their lives - a game against First Division Watford for a place in the FA Cup final.

For most of them it would be the pinnacle of their careers.

It must be quite a relief that this game is out of the way and now they are allowed to admit they are thinking about the Watford clash without worrying it will seem as if they don't care about the Premiership.

In West Ham, though, they faced a team who really wanted the points and had no semi-final to worry about.

They would no doubt trot out the old cliche that in their bid to avoid relegation this, like every game they have left, is their cup final. But as far as cliches go, that is one of the worst.

Hammers boss Glenn Roeder felt a little hard done by that his side didn't take the three points. They may just have edged it but no way was a draw an unfair result.

Chris Marsden was back in the side after sitting out the last two games to avoid a suspension that would have ruled him out of the semi.

He was typically combative and seemed determined to ensure he got that booking now - battling Lee Bowyer non-stop until he eventually did.

There was a new central midfield pairing of Matt Oakley and David Prutton and they worked well together.

Prutton is clearly far more suited to a central role than one on the left and his energy and drive were impressive.

Oakley played a deeper role, breaking up the play effectively and between them they stifled West Ham's main threat Joe Cole.

Neither Antti Niemi - save a Trevor Sinclair effort in the first half - and David James - from a Fabrice Fernandes shot - had much to do.

Both central defences were strong in the face of a big man and a small and nimble one.

Les Ferdinand missed probably the best chance for his side on 18 minutes when he fluffed wide after Bowyer's pull back.

Beattie gave Saints the lead just before half-time. He won a free-kick on the right which Paul Telfer took quickly.

Tomas Repka won a header in the centre but it fell to Marsden who hooked it back to the far post where Beattie, continuing his run from winning the kick, bravely challenged Rufus Brevett and saw the ball fly into the corner of the net.

It was his 21st league goal of the season and took him two clear of Thierry Henry in the race to finish as the top flight's Golden Boot.

In the second half Ormerod twice got to the by-line but Fernandes and Prutton were unable to convert and Michael Svensson missed a close range header before West Ham piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser.

They came close when Oakley had to clear Ian Pearce's effort off the line but they did find the net seven minutes from time.

A touchline bust-up disrupted the play and, from the re-start, Glenn Johnson's long throw bounced over the Saints defence and Jermian Defoe hooked it over Niemi and into the top corner.

But Saints remain unbeaten in five and can now concentrate on the big one.