DECLAN RICE demonstrated why he is valued at £100milion – against sixth-tier cup heroes Kidderminster Harriers.

On a day when almost every one of his West Ham team-mates looked utterly worthless.

The true measure of a great player is their ability to turn it on when it matters most.

When the chips are down and it's not your day.

To have the personal pride to put in a shift when others down tools and become invisible.

Declan Rice proved he was a player at last summer's Euro's as he strutted his stuff at Wembley against the cream of Europe.

Today, the 23-year-old proved he was a man of substance – a leader, ready to set standards which those around him in pale blue failed to match..

He had to swap the lush turf of Wembley and sell-out crowds for Harriers' humble Aggborough Stadium in front of 5,327 frenzied fans at a non-league ground.

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But at least the Three Lions midfielder came off the bench and rose to the occasion when it mattered most, as he dragged his side from the brink of disaster with his stunning stoppage time equaliser.

His team-mates? They were pitiful. 

Shown up by a group of National League North players who gave every last ounce of skill, effort and guts they had.

Kidderminster's heroes turned up to work at 12.30.

The Hammers didn't fancy that and looked as if they would rather be anywhere else than on a pitch which hadn't been perfectly manicured to their usual Premier League standards. 

Give me a break.

Andriy Yarmolenko has won 106 caps and scored 44 goals for Ukraine.

Yet he couldn't lay a glove on Kiddy's towering defenders, Man of the Match Matt Preston and his defensive partner Nathan Cameron.

And when West Ham needed inspiration, what did Yarmolenko bring to the party for his lavish salary?

A dive to try and cheat a penalty out of honest opponents who never resorted to the dark arts of their Premier League counterparts!

It was an utter disgrace.

With less than 10 minutes to go Yarmolenko trotted into the box and Nathan Cameron reached out an arm to feel for where his opponent was.

Yarmolenko felt a fingertip brush his shirt …. and folded.like a puppet who had just had it's strings cut.

Even the most biased Hammers fan must have cringed and recoiled in horror.

If their team had to cheat their way to scramble a late penalty, you suspect many would have considered it too high a price to pay for the stigma against them.

Jarrod Bowen did himself no favours either when he toppled several times, looking for a helping hand from officialdom to try and con anything he could out of his battling opponents.

He can point to his last gasp extra-time tap-in and claim he won it for West Ham and spared them a nerve-racking penalty shoot-out..

But the sight of him beating his pumping heart with his fist was frankly embarrassing.

Pride in his club? Whatever.

Meanwhile the real heroes trudged off wearily to take a deserved lap of honour.

Their manager Russ Penn spent the final five minutes of regulation time hurling sachets of energy gel onto the pitch to help them go the extra mile until their legs finally buckled.

Meanwhile West Ham players applauded their travelling fans and sloped off red-faced and relieved.

Quite what Sir Geoff Hurst, sitting in the Harriers main stand made of it, is anyone's guess.

David Moyes is a proud man and I just hope the Scot ordered his players to knock on the Kidderminster dressing room door afterwards.

And politely ask if Kidderminster's heroes would be kind enough to give them their shirts!

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