West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has urged Kevin Nolan not to let his form drop in the closing stages of the Premier League season.

The Hammers skipper has scored five goals in as many games during the club's venture up the table, but Allardyce claims that the midfielder cannot relax in the final 10 matches of the campaign.

"I just hope he keeps it up," Allardyce told reporters. "Kevin's got to continue to strive to reach the levels he has hit recently and go beyond it and not think, 'Well, I've shown what I can do.'

"He can't afford to, like anyone else, let that level of performance diminish in any way.

"That is obviously something I talk to the squad about all the time. They can't ease off and they've always got to hit the top performance you can give on a consistent basis at this level of football."

West Ham take on Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday afternoon.