LAST week England and Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell made a plea for football fans to cut out the abuse towards players - but after Saturday it might be a request that holds little concern for West Ham's Dean Ashton.

The forward was given a hard time by the Middlesbrough fans during the Irons' 2-1 win at the Riverside on Saturday.

But he shrugged off the barracks and stunned the crowd in perfect fashion with a fantastically taken equaliser - followed up with a passionate celebration in front of the home support.

"I don't mind a bit of banter with fans," Ashton said.

"I find it quite funny at times, as long as it doesn't go too far in what they're actually saying.

"They (Middlesbrough fans) were saying about my weight and my hair and all this sort of stuff.

"The reason I reacted after my goal was because I was so pleased to score.

"It was a nice goal to score and I want to enjoy my goals."

The 24-year-old missed the whole of last season with an ankle injury and spent six weeks on the sidelines during this campaign with knee ligament trouble.

But he has forced himself back into the recogning and his strike - his fifth of the season in all competitions - suggests to the Hammers fans that he is closing in on the pre-injury form which earned him two England call ups.

"I feel really good. I feel fit and strong so I've just got to concentrate on that really," he said.

"I want to stay injury free and to be as fit as I possibly can be.

"Then it's a case of trying to play my best football and getting back to the level I was at before I got injured.

"I'm pleased I'm getting the 90 minutes under my belt and that the team are picking up results."

And he is not the only man pleased at Upton Park - boss Alan Curbishley was full of praise his front man.

"Dean looked sharper today and I think that helped," Curbishley said.

"The thing about him is that when he hits the ball he hits it so hard. When a ball drops you want it to drop to him.

"He's taken some criticism in the last few weeks and I think that is because of the expectation.

"But getting fitting while playing in the Premier League is so hard."