MONDAY night s game may not have been the most eventful, but it will certainly be one to remember for West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green. In the 51st minute, a cross from the left was met by Shelton Martis who headed against the bar, but while that was happeni

MONDAY night's game may not have been the most eventful, but it will certainly be one to remember for West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green.

In the 51st minute, a cross from the left was met by Shelton Martis who headed against the bar, but while that was happening, Jonas Olsson was giving Green a whack with his elbow.

The goalkeeper recovered after lengthy treatment and he was relieved that the injury had not been more serious.

"I got caught in the jaw," he confirmed. "It's pretty painful, bits of my tongue keep falling off in my mouth!

"I definitely felt something and I think it was someone's elbow. We've seen the replays on the TV and he's caught me a good'un.

"I'm just thankful it was a sturdier part of my face and not an eye socket or a nose or something like that - that would have meant proper damage."

Green kept his 10th clean sheet of the season against West Brom, and he took some comfort from that, despite the disappointing performance.

"Obviously we had a side that has had limited playing time together. We were solid at the back where the lads have played together, but attacking wise we didn't create too much," he explained.

"We weren't going to hit it up to the big man. Maybe if David Di Michele had got on Freddie Sears' shoulders, we might have had a chance, but other than that it is going to be really hard to play without Carlton Cole."

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola wasn't overly concerned with his goalkeeper's injury.

"I haven't seen the challenge, but they tell me that it should have been a foul," said Zola. "Robert Green's never been a good-looking man, so I don't know how bad his face looks!