Sam Allardyce denies cancelling Cheltenham Festival trip for players

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has denied rumours that he cancelled a trip for his players to the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday.

The 59-year-old has claimed that a change in schedule may have resulted in some of his players mistakenly planning to go to the races.

The Hammers usually have Wednesdays off, but due to not having a game last weekend, Allardyce opted to bring his players in for training in midweek.

"[The players] just thought they were having a day off on Wednesday that they didn't get," Allardyce said in a press conference. "They've had the weekend off, they generally get Wednesdays off in a normal week, but this wasn't a normal week for me.

"They never got told so they probably thought, or planned, a few of the players, to go to Cheltenham. When they found out we were in on Wednesday, they found they couldn't [go]."

The Hammers will take on Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.