FA Cup Third Round
West Ham United v Barnsley
Saturday 3 January
3pm
Referee: Michael Oliver
WHUTV - Full audio commentary
Introduction
* West Ham United welcome Coca-Cola Championship side Barnsley to the Boleyn Ground as they begin their challenge for the FA Cup.
* West Ham have won the FA Cup three times in their history - in 1964, 1975 and 1980 and finished as runners-up twice - in 1923 and 2006.
* Barnsley have won the FA Cup once - in 1912 - and were runners-up in 1910.
* The pair have met only once before in the FA Cup. Barnsley won a fourth round tie 4-1 at Oakwell on 24 January 1993. Striker Andy Liddell struck a hat-trick for the Tykes, while Trevor Morley scored the Hammers' consolation in a game notable for freezing temperatures and a mid-match snow storm.
* West Ham start 2009 in fine form, having won both of the Premier League matches they contested over the festive season. A 4-1 Boxing Day win at Portsmouth was followed by a 2-1 home success against Stoke City on Sunday 28 December.
* The club are on a strong run with just two defeats in the last eight games - including draws away to Liverpool and Chelsea and wins against Sunderland, Portsmouth and Stoke City.
* West Ham have not lost at home to Barnsley since the Yorkshire club's 5-2 win in the League Cup second round second leg on 6 October 1987. The Hammers had taken a 2-0 lead through current first team coach Kevin Keen and Stewart Robson, only for the Tykes to hit back through two Steve Agnew goals and score three times more in extra-time.
* Barnsley have won just twice in 26 attempts against West Ham at the Boleyn Ground. Aside from the aforementioned League Cup tie, the Tykes secured their only other success in east London by way of a 2-0 victory on 8 September 1919.
* Barnsley reached the FA Cup semi-finals last season, beating Blackpool, Southend United, Liverpool and Chelsea before going down 1-0 to Cardiff City at Wembley in the last-four.
* Barnsley manager Simon Davey said: "It is nice to put the league on the backburner and focus on an FA Cup game. We are going into it after winning two and drawing one of the last three matches and there is no pressure on us at all on Saturday. West Ham are a Premier League team with Premier League players and we are looking forward to going there and giving it a good go. We will be underdogs but to be fair we are the underdogs in the Championship most weeks anyway. There is no pressure on us so hopefully we can go and perform and it will be a good game. Hopefully we can go and do what we did last season."
* The fourth-round draw will be held at 3.25pm on Sunday afternoon.
* West Ham return to Premier League action seeking their third successive victory when they head to St James' Park to take on Newcastle United on Saturday 10 January.
Team news
* West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola could make changes to his matchday squad for Saturday's FA Cup third round date with Barnsley, with a host of fringe players hoping to be given a chance to impress against the Tykes.
* One player who will definitely not be involved is England midfielder Scott Parker, who is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season in the 4-1 Boxing Day win at Portsmouth.
* Former Spain international striker Diego Tristan is pushing for his first start for West Ham after scoring the winner in last Sunday's 2-1 Premier League victory over Stoke City. Teenager Freddie Sears is also hoping to be involved.
* Craig Bellamy is available for selection again after missing the Stoke victory through suspension.
* It remains to be seen if captain Lucas Neill will be back after he missed the Stoke match with the twisted ankle he suffered during the first half of the 4-1 Boxing Day success at Portsmouth.
* England international forward Kieron Dyer is in contention to make his first appearance for the Hammers since breaking his leg in a Carling Cup tie against Bristol Rovers in August 2007. The 30-year-old is back in full training and successfully came through a behind-closed-doors friendly match against a Major League Soccer Select XI last month.
* United States defender Jonathan Spector, a brief substitute against Stoke, is available again following a hip injury while Walter Lopez, Lee Bowyer, Matty Etherington and Bondz 'Gala - named in the matchday squad for the first time for last Sunday's win over Stoke - will all hope to be involved.
* England Under-20 international defender James Tomkins is back from a five-week loan spell at Coca-Cola Championship side Derby County. The 19-year-old made eight first team appearances for the Rams, helping them reach the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.
* Mark Noble has been back in training after a virus cost him his place against Portsmouth.
* Five players are out on loan and are therefore unavailable for Saturday's tie - Nigel Quashie (Birmingham City), Jimmy Walker (Colchester United), Junior Stanislas (Southend United), Jordan Spence (Leyton Orient) and Joe Widdowson (Grimsby Town).
* Barnsley will be without experienced on-loan striker Jamie Cureton after the 33-year-old was refused permission to take part by his parent club Norwich City.
* The Tykes will also be without influential defender Rob Kozluk after the former Sheffield United player suffered a facial injury in the club's 1-1 draw with Preston North End last weekend.
* Winger Martin Devaney, who played a starring role in Barnsley's FA Cup wins over Liverpool and Barnsley last season, has an ankle injury and will definitely not be involved in Saturday's tie.
* Canada forward Iain Hume is also ruled out as he continues his recovery from a fractured skull suffered in a collision with Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan in early November.
* Former Netherlands Under-21 forward Maceo Rigters and Nigeria striker Kayode Odejayi are both pushing for starts at the Boleyn Ground after starting Barnsley's last Championship fixture on the substitutes' bench. With Cureton ruled out, one of the pair is likely to partner Jonathan Macken in attack.
* Barnsley manager Simon Davey could also call upon the services of Argentinian defensive midfielder Hugo Colace, French winger Mounir El Haimour and Brazilian full-back Dennis Souza.
Last time out
Sunday 28 December 2008
Premier League
West Ham United 2-1 Stoke City
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker (Mullins 77), Collison (Tristan 77), Boa Morte, Di Michele (Spector 89), Cole
Subs not used: Lastuvka, 'Gala, Bowyer, Sears
Goals: Cole 51, Tristan 88
Sunday 28 December 2008
Championship
Barnsley 1-1 Preston North End
Barnsley: Muller, Van Homoet, Foster, Moore, Kozluk (Colace 46), Hassell, Leon (El Haimour 55), De Silva, Campbell-Ryce, Cureton, Macken (Rigters 75)
Subs not used: Odejayi, Guedes
Goal: Cureton 16
Background
* West Ham United and Barnsley face one another for the first time 10 January 1998, when the Hammers ran out 6-0 winners in a Premier League fixture at the Boleyn Ground. Samassi Abou netted twice while Stan Lazaridis, John Hartson, Frank Lampard and substitute John Moncur also got their names on the scoresheet in front a crowd of 23,714.
* The lineups that day were:
West Ham United: Forrest, Potts, Lazaridis, Unsworth, Rio Ferdinand, Ian Pearce, Impey (Moncur 31), Lampard, Berkovic (Paulo Alves 77), Hartson, Abou.
Subs not used: Lama, Rowland, Bishop
Goals: Lampard 5, Abou 31, 52, Moncur 57, Hartson 67, Lazaridis 90
Barnsley: Watson, Eaden, Appleby (Markstedt 31), Sheridan, Redfearn, Tinkler, Hristov (Hendrie 73), Krizan (Marcelle 31), Barnard, Ward, Morgan.
Subs not used: Liddell, Bosancic
Attendance: 23,714
Head to head (last six meetings, league unless stated)
10 January 1998 - West Ham United 6-0 Barnsley
9 August 1997 - Barnsley 1-2 West Ham United
6 February 1993 - West Ham United 1-1 Barnsley
24 January 1993 - Barnsley 4-1 West Ham United (FA Cup Fourth Round)
16 August 1992 - Barnsley 0-1 West Ham United
1 April 1991 - West Ham United 3-2 Barnsley
Overall record v Barnsley (all competitions): W 28, D 14, L 9
General information
For ticket information, click here. For details on getting to the Boleyn Ground, click here.
Weather
The forecast is for a bright, sunny and chilly day with temperatures not expected to get above 4C.
Travel news
A normal Saturday service will be in operation on c2c all day, with extended trains running on the Ockendon line. On the London Underground, the Jubilee Line will be suspended between Green Park and Stratford, with two rail replacement bus services in operation. The first will run between Bank and Canada Water, calling at Monument, London Bridge and Bermondsey. The second will run between North Greenwich and Stratford, calling at Canning Town and West Ham. The Hammersmith and City line will be suspended between Edgware Road and Barking, while the Metropolitan Line will be suspended between Baker Street and Aldgate.