The ups and downs of football have been perfectly highlighted by James Tomkins over the last week.

On Saturday, he was the pick of an outstanding defensive performance by West Ham in their 1-0 victory over in-form Newcastle.

However, seven days earlier Tomkins was very much the pantomime villain following an over-reaction to an innocuous push from Everton’s Kevin Mirallas which Sam Allardyce described as “silly”. Tomkins, 25, has had plenty of time to reflect upon an action which has been roundly condemned by most as, at worst “cheating” and at best, “embarrassing”.

“As a player, I’m against what I did and I wouldn’t have wanted it to happen to me,” he admitted. “It happened quickly and I reacted but, thankfully, the player didn’t get sent off which would have made it worse.

“He did catch my chin when he put his hands up but I wasn’t best pleased with my reaction to be honest.

“I wouldn’t want to do anything like that again. I’ve taken plenty of stick about it but it’s behind me now. At the time I probably did want to get him sent off but, looking at it now, I shouldn’t have done it.”

Confession over, the centre-half is much more comfortable talking about West Ham’s success, the challenge of the next couple of months and tonight’s test at West Brom.

The win over Newcastle pushed his side up to fifth in the Premier League and ended a slight wobble by the Hammers who had picked up just two points from their previous three games.

“It was an important win on Saturday,” said Tomkins. “It was a tough game but we were resilient and didn’t concede. It’s an important time of year to keep clean sheets.

“It’s always a sign of a good team that you don’t play your best but manage to scrape a win. The gaffer said at half-time he thought it would be a 1-0 game and to make sure we scored the vital goal. I thought we deserved the victory.”

Tomkins was forced to remain patient when he spent a month out of the team recently but will surely keep his place at The Hawthorns tonight, despite the return of New Zealand international Winston Reid following suspension.

“I’m happy with the way it’s gone,” he said. “Sometimes, when the team are playing well, you have to bide your time until you get your chance. I thought I did well on Saturday considering the statistics showed we ran the most we’ve done all season so far.

“This time of the season is all about recovery. You see teams who have started well slipping around Christmas because their squad isn’t the strongest. Matches come thick and fast now and if you get on the wrong end of a few you can slip right down the table.

“It’s important we keep our squad together. We have a few coming back now and the depth is much better than it was last year.

“It’s a hard thing to get to fifth in the table but even harder to stay there. We know what it’s like to be down in the lower reaches after last season so we’ll be striving to stay up there. We’re definitely looking up, rather than down.”

Tomkins knows his challenge tonight will be to subdue Saido Berahino. The 21-year-old has scored seven Premier League goals this season, earning him his first call-up to the England squad last month.

“They are quite lively up front and I like the look of Berahino,” said Tomkins. “He seems to have come of age and is scoring goals.”

Sam Allardyce also singled out the striker. The Hammers manager said: “Players like him, Harry Kane and Charlie Austin have made everybody sit up this season. His ultimate dedication to the game will decide how far he goes in the game. When all that adulation comes your way, can you control yourself, dedicate yourself to becoming even better than you are?”

With three games in eight days, Allardyce could make several changes to his team with striker Andy Carroll and midfielder Mark Noble the biggest doubts. “We’ve got a little bit of fatigue from the Newcastle game, one or two knocks and bruises,” he said.

“Mark Noble had another kick on the injury he sustained up at Everton. I’m also not sure Andy Carroll will be okay to play another 90 minutes after Saturday. We will assess things based on his recovery and how he feels. Enner Valencia is back in the squad, though.” Allardyce is hopeful that Diafra Sakho, who suffered a back problem while on international duty with Senegal, could be ready to face Swansea on Sunday.