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07th Jan 2018

West Ham midfielder has tooth kicked out of head in FA Cup stalemate

Who needs teeth anyway?

Darragh Murphy

When Stuart Pearce is one of your coaches, a lost tooth is not going to get you much sympathy.

Josh Cullen proved his toughness to ‘Psycho’ on Sunday afternoon, when West Ham were held to a 0-0 draw at League One side Shrewsbury Town.

The FA Cup third round clash will go to a replay, something which manager David Moyes could definitely have done without as he aims to concentrate on keeping the Hammers afloat in the Premier League.

Moyes fielded a relatively strong side, with Cullen one of the less experienced starters, but the top-flight outfit simply couldn’t break the deadlock at New Meadow.

But, at the very least, Cullen proved his dedication to the cause as he played through a mouth injury sustained when he received a kick in the jaw from Shrewsbury midfielder Abu Ogogo.

Slow-motion replays of the high boot showed that the 21-year-old’s tooth went flying out on impact but, credit to him, he continued playing after undergoing treatment on the touchline.

As Cullen, a Republic of Ireland U21 international, changed out of his blood-soaked kit, the West Ham physio could be seen looking for his tooth in the grass and managed to find it.

He’s the real hero!