Roeder cautious over Defoe

West Ham may unleash Jermain Defoe on Dagenham and Redbridge tonight, but Glenn Roeder says he won't allow the 18-year-old strike sensation to become over-hyped like Joe Cole.

The Hammers face their non-League neighbours in a testimonial for Daggers player Jason Broome, but boss Roeder made it clear: "We will play a few star names for 15 or 20 minutes to try and boost the crowd because we like to help our neighbours, but I'll be looking essentially at some of the youngsters.

"I'm sure people will want to see Jermain, but I have to be careful with him as well. I don't want a situation where there is too much of the hype which Joe Cole has had to cope with.

"The press has heaped too much pressure on Joe. His expectations for himself are so big and with the pressure from the media it has made it worse for him."