Squad To Face Coventry

WITH no new injury worries ahead of Saturday's Coca-Cola Championship clash with Coventry, Alan Pardew has named an almost identical squad to the one that travelled to the North West.

Marlon Harewood is included, despite taking a knock on the ankle at Burnley. The striker will face a late fitness test to determine his availability.

Christian Dailly, Malky Mackay, Steve Lomas and Sergei Rebrov are all still nursing calf problems, while Don Hutchison remains unavailable with a long-term knee injury.

Hayden Mullins looks set to continue in centre-midfield, despite the return of Carl Fletcher, Matty Etherington and Gavin Williams to full fitness.

Pards said: "Hayden Mullins has come in and done very well in his natural position of centre-midfield.

"We've had huge injury problems this season and Hayden has been a victim of that, because he's had to fill the gaps. Wigan have about eight players that have played almost every game this term, but that isn't a luxury we've been afforded.

"It's meant Hayden has had to fill in and at times it's been difficult for him to play his natural game. He's taken some criticism from the crowd because of that, but I think he's come back and shown what a good player he is."

Anton Ferdinand and Elliott Ward look certain to start in central-defence for the fifth time in a row, a partnership Alan Pardew insists is growing in confidence.

"They are both young players who have come in and done tremendously well," he said. "Ideally they would both have  gone out on loan and learned their trade lower in the lower Leagues.

"But they have had to learn and make their mistakes, as all young players will do, in our first-team.

"Anton and Elliott have been excellent, though. They are growing in confidence and will be very hard to shift from the side."

The team to face Coventry City will be chosen from the following squad:

Bywater (GK), Walker (GK), Etherington, Mullins, Powell, Repka, Reo-Coker, Chadwick, Williams, Fletcher, Ferdinand, Harewood, Zamora, Sheringham, Newton, Noble, Ward, Ephraim.

West Ham United v Coventry City at Upton Park, kick-off 3.00pm.