Delap upbeat over Stoke survival

Rory Delap was sent off against Manchester City in January

Stoke City midfielder Rory Delap insists the players are not panicking, despite failing to secure their top-flight status against West Ham.

Stoke, whose 1-0 defeat was their first at home since 26 December, need three points from their last three matches to make sure of survival.

Delap told BBC Radio Stoke: "We're desperate to get to 40 points.

"We've got another week to work hard now. We've got to go up to Hull next week and get a result."

Diego Tristan scored the only goal of the game at the Britannia Stadium, as West Ham strengthened their claim for a place in Europe next season, and Stoke were made to wait another week to ensure their safety.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke: "We're playing against quality sides, week in, week out.

"We've made a massive step up, and unless you're at it all the time, you're going to find it difficult to win games."

Meanwhile, Delap has admitted he was unhappy with a challenge on him by West Ham's Luis Boa Morte, which resulted in both players receiving a yellow card.

Boa Morte was booked for the initial challenge, after which Delap kicked out at the Portuguese international.

"It was a a pretty bad tackle, but then he scraped up my leg again and I tried to get him off. I was disappointed with the booking, really."

The long-throw expert was sent off in January for kicking out at Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips.