Barclays Premier League
West Ham United v Fulham
Boleyn Ground
Sunday 18 January 2009
1.30pm
Referee: Phil Dowd
Introduction
* West Ham United welcome Roy Hodgson's Fulham for the club's eleventh home match of the 2008/09 Barclays Premier League season. A win would leave the club at least ninth after the weekend, with the possibility of moving eighth with a win and a defeat for Hull City at home to Arsenal on Saturday evening.
West Ham United
* Gianfranco Zola's men go into Saturday's match looking to extend their Premier League unbeaten run to four matches.
* The Hammers go into the match having won three and drawn one of their last four matches in all competitions, beating Portsmouth (4-1), Stoke City (2-1) and Barnsley (3-0 in the FA Cup third round) and drawing at Newcastle United (2-2) last Saturday.
* West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola has a strong squad to choose from. Only Dean Ashton and Danny Gabbidon are unavailable through injury.
* Zola's side go into this weekend's round of matches tenth in the table with 26 points from 21 matches. However, the Hammers sit just a points behind eighth-placed Wigan Athletic.
* Today's Premier League match is West Ham United's ninth to be screened live on television this season. Previously, the home fixtures with Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa and the away games at Manchester City, Sunderland. Liverpool, and Chelsea have all been shown.
* West Ham United face a trip to League One side Hartlepool United in the FA Cup fourth round next Saturday. It will be the first meeting between the two sides. The match will also be screened live by ITV, with kick-off at 12.40pm.
* West Ham midfielder Valon Behrami had won more free-kicks (55) than any other player in the Premier League this season before this weekend's round of matches.
* In-form frontman Carlton Cole has scored in each of his last four Premier League and FA Cup matches, taking his tally to eight for the season in all competitions - the highest single-season number he has reached in his career.
* Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green turns 29 on Sunday.
* West Ham's biggest ever home win over Fulham came in the shape of a 7-2 First Division defeat of the Cottagers on 3 February 1968, with all three of the Hammers' World Cup winners getting on the scoresheet. A crowd of 31,248 saw Trevor Brooking (two), Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst (two), Bobby Moore, Brian Dear.
* The Hammers also secured a 6-1 First Division victory on 5 November 1966. Geoff Hurst scored four times and Martin Peters added a brace. Fred Callaghan had given Fulham an early lead. That victory was matched on 1 September 1917, when Danny Shea scored four times and Frank Roberts twice.
* This is the 74th league meeting between the two sides. West Ham United have won 33, Fulham have won 24 and there have been 16 draws.
Fulham
* Fulham went into this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures ninth in the Premier League table with 26 points from 19 matches.
* Fulham have not played a Premier League match since drawing 2-2 with Chelsea at Craven Cottage on 28 December. Last Saturday's home fixture against Blackburn Rovers was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
* Roy Hodgson's side have the joint-best away defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded just six goals in nine matches up to this point. Fulham have kept clean sheets in each of their last four Premier League away games, drawing 0-0 at Liverpool, Aston Villa, Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur.
* The Cottagers have the worst away goalscoring record of any team in the Premier League. Fulham have scored just two away goals in nine matches, drawing 1-1 at Portsmouth on 26 October and losing 2-1 at Hull City on 16 August.
* Fulham have not scored away from home in the Premier League for 453 minutes since Clint Dempsey's 87th-minute equaliser at Portsmouth. However, Hodgson's men did win 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup third round on 3 January.
* Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has kept eight clean sheets in 21 Premier League fixtures this season.
* Fulham's biggest win at the Boleyn Ground came in an FA Cup fifth round replay on 24 February 2004. Brian McBride, Barry Hayles and current West Ham United player Luis Boa Morte netted in the final 14 minutes to give the Whites a 3-0 victory. Fulham have never won a league game at the Boleyn Ground by more than two clear goals, winning 2-0 on 3 November 2001 through goals from Sylvain Legwinski and Steed Malbranque.
Referee
* Phil Dowd, who turns 46 on 26 January, has been refereeing since 1984. Dowd was appointed to the Football League list as an assistant referee in 1992 before becoming a referee in 1997 at the age of 34. This season is Dowd's eighth of officiating in the Premier League.
* Dowd was the fourth official for the 2006 FA Cup final between West Ham United and Liverpool.
* Dowd has taken control of 13 Premier League matches this season, including West Ham United's 3-1 win over Newcastle United and the Hammers' 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal. He has yet to take control of Fulham this season.
*The official has issued 41 yellow cards and two red cards at an average of 3.31 cards per game.
Last time out
Saturday 10 January 2009
Newcastle United 2-2 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Noble (Mullins, 86), Collison (Boa Morte, 76), Cole, Bellamy (Di Michele, 81)
Subs not used: Stech,Faubert,Tristan,Tomkins
Booked: None
Goals: Bellamy 29, Cole 55
Saturday 3 January 2009
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Fulham
Fulham: Schwarzer, Stoor, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Gray (Davies, 77), Etuhu, Murphy, Dempsey, Johnson, Zamora (Nevland, 69)
Subs not used: Zuberbuhler, Pantsil, Andreasen, Kallio, Baird
Bookings: None
Goals: Johnson 12, 88
Team news
* Craig Bellamy and Mark Noble have trained this week after coming off at Newcastle United late in the game with hamstring concerns.
* Kieron Dyer continued his comeback after 16 months out with a broken leg by playing 75 minutes in West Ham United's goalless Barclays Premier Reserve League draw at Aston Villa on Tuesday evening.
* Teenage goalkeeper Marek Stech will again be among the substitutes as former Fulham stopper and Czech Republic compatriot Jan Lastuvka is sidelined with a minor knee injury. Stech was in superb form for the reserves, making a series of outstanding saves at Hinckley United's Marston's Stadium. Lastuvka is set to return to full training on Monday.
*Jonathan Spector, James Tomkins, Freddie Sears and Diego Tristan all appeared in Tuesday's match and will hope to be involved in Gianfranco Zola's squad on Sunday.
* Uruguay international Walter Lopez is OK after a minor groin injury in Tuesday night's reserve fixture.
* Dean Ashton (ankle) and Danny Gabbidon (stomach) continue to make progress alongside the squad at Chadwell Heath.
* Fulham will be without Senegal striker Diomansy Kamara, who is out of action with a knee injury.
*South Korea winger Seol Ki-Hyeon is also unavailable after joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal on a six-month loan in midweek.
Last meeting
*The teams last met at Boleyn Ground on 12 January 2008. Simon Davies gave Fulham an eighth-minute lead before Dean Ashton and Anton Ferdinand scored either side of half-time to give West Ham United a 2-1 home victory.
*The lineups were:
West Ham United: Green, Spector, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Ljungberg (Faubert, 89), Mullins, Noble, Etherington (Bowyer, 83), Ashton, Cole (Boa Morte, 65)
Subs not used: Wright, Collins
Goals: Ashton 28, Ferdinand 69
Fulham: Niemi, Baird, Stefanovic, Bocanegra (Hughes, 14), Konchesky, Volz (Bullard, 77), Davis, Murphy, Davies, Healy (Smertin, 78), Dempsey
Subs not used: Warner, Ki-Hyeon
Bookings: Konchesky
Goals: Davies 8
Attendance: 34,947
Old boys
*Luis Boa Morte made 250 appearances for Fulham in all competitions between July 2000 and January 2007, scoring 54 goals. Boa Morte scored 18 goals as the Cottagers secured promotion to the Premier League in 2000/01. He was voted the club's player of the season in 2004/05.
*Goalkeeper Jan Lastuvka made 12 league and cup appearances for Fulham between August 2006 and May 2007. At the time, the Czech Republic-born player was on loan from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, as he is during his current spell at West Ham United.
* Four Fulham players could turn out against their former club this afternoon. Striker Bobby Zamora scored 40 goals in 152 league and cup appearances for West Ham United between February 2004 and July 2008. Full-back John Pantsil played 24 matches for the Hammers between August 2006 and July 2008. Left-back Paul Konchesky made 70 appearances for West Ham between July 2005 and July 2007, scoring one of only two goals for the club in the 2006 FA Cup final. Finally, midfielder Jimmy Bullard began his professional career with West Ham in 1999 but failed to make a first team appearance for the club before joining Peterborough United in May 2001.
* Bobby Moore MBE played for both West Ham United and Fulham during his glittering career. Moore made 544 appearances for the Hammers before moving to Craven Cottage for £25,000 in 1974. England's World Cup-winning captain remained at Fulham for three years, making a further 124 appearances and facing his former side in the 1975 FA Cup final, which West Ham won 2-0.
* Among the other players who have represented both sides are Ian Pearce, Rufus Brevett, George Carter, Brian Dear, Tony Gale, Ron Greenwood, Jon Harley, Fred Harrison, Jack Hebden and George Horler.
Head to head
(last six meetings, league unless stated)
27 September 2008 - Fulham 1-2 West Ham United
23 February 2008 - Fulham 0-1 West Ham United
12 January 2008 - West Ham United 2-1 Fulham
13 January 2007 - West Ham United 3-3 Fulham
23 December 2006 - Fulham 0-0 West Ham United
23 January 2006 - West Ham United 2-1 Fulham
Overall record v Fulham (all competitions) W 35, D 27, L 18
Next up
* West Ham United's next match will see the Hammers head north to face League One side Hartlepool United in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, with kick-off at 12.40pm.
*Fulham will travel to Blue Square Premier outfit Kettering Town in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.
General information
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