Sunderland v West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
Stadium of Light
Sunday 5 December 2010
4pm
Referee: Martin Atkinson
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Introduction
• West Ham United travel to seventh-place Sunderland looking for a third straight win for the first time since January 2009 when they beat Fulham and Hull City at home either side of an FA Cup success away to Hartlepool United.
• West Ham, still in last place, won 3-1 at home to Wigan Athletic in Barclays Premier League action last Saturday and then thrashed Manchester United 4-0 at home on Tuesday night in the Carling Cup quarter-finals.
• The Hammers have lost just once in the last eleven meetings with Sunderland - but have still not won a Barclays Premier League away game since the opening day of last season at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
• The Hammers run of 25 matches without an away success is equalled only by Fulham.
• The Black Cats, led by Steve Bruce, have not lost at home this season - save for a Carling Cup defeat by the Hammers.
• The Hammers were 2-1 winners at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday 21 September in the Carling Cup third round - Victor Obinna and Frederic Piquionne finding the target.
• Avram Grant's men have lost just once in the last six games in all competitions.
• Grant has never lost in six meetings with Steve Bruce, drawing three matches and winning three.
• Sunderland have not lost to London opposition in the league this season. They were 3-0 winners at Chelsea, drew 1-1 at Tottenham Hotspur and were held 1-1 at home by Arsenal.
• Danny Welbeck is in tremendous form for the Black Cats, with four goals in the last three games since breaking his Sunderland duck in that win against Chelsea on 14 November.
• West Ham's biggest ever win away at Sunderland came on 9 September 1967, when goals from Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst (two), Harry Redknapp and Bobby Moore helped them to a 5-1 victory. The Hammers' biggest ever win over Sunderland came in the shape of an 8-0 success at the Boleyn Ground on 19 October 1968. Geoff Hurst scored six goals - including a hat-trick in each half - while Bobby Moore and a young Trevor Brooking added one apiece.
• Sunderland's biggest ever win over West Ham came on 5 March 1977, when the Black Cats romped to a 6-0 victory over the Londoners. Their best performance in east London was a 3-0 triumph on 25 April 1931.
• The most recent league meeting between the two sides was on 10 April 2010, when Ilan's 51st-minute goal secured a vital Barclays Premier League victory for West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground. A 34,685-strong crowd were present to see the Hammers pick up three valuable points in their ultimately successful fight against relegation.
Last time out
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Carling Cup fifth round
West Ham United 4-0 Manchester United
West Ham United: Green, Ben Haim, Upson, Spector, Faubert, Tomkins (Reid 74), Kovac, Boa Morte, Barrera (Hines 76), Cole (Stanislas 89), Obinna
Subs not used: Boffin, Parker, McCarthy, Piquionne
Goals: Spector 22, 37, Cole 55, 66
Saturday 27 November 2010
Barclays Premier League
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 Sunderland
Sunderland: Gordon, Ferdinand, Bardsley, Onuoha, Mensah (Al Muhammadi 82), Richardson, Cattermole, Zenden (Gyan 56), Henderson (Malbranque 56), Bent, Welbeck Subs not used: Mignolet, Da Silva, Riveros, Angeleri
Goals: Bent 67, Welbeck 77
Last meeting
The sides have already met this season in the Carling Cup second round at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday 21 September 2010. Frederic Piquionne opened the scoring on 35 minutes before Asamoah Gyan equalised six minutes later. However, Victor Obinna's first goal for the Hammers just before the hour gave Avram Grant's men a vital victory.
Sunderland: Mignolet, Ferdinand (Da Silva 40), Richardson, Bardsley, Onuoha, Riveros, Al Muhammadi, Henderson (Zenden 71) , Bent, Gyan (Malbranque 61), Welbeck
Subs not used: Carson, Angeleri, Colback, Reid
West Ham United: Stech, Ben Haim, Faubert, Da Costa, Tomkins, Parker, Kovac, Boa Morte, Barrera (Noble 89), Piquionne (Cole 78), Obinna (Dyer 71)
Subs not used: Boffin, Spector, Brown, McCarthy
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
21 September 2010 - Sunderland 1-2 West Ham United
10 April 2010 - West Ham United 1-0 Sunderland
31 October 2009 - Sunderland 2-2 West Ham United
4 April 2009 - West Ham United 2-0 Sunderland
23 November 2008 - Sunderland 0-1 West Ham United
29 March 2008 - Sunderland 2-1 West Ham United
• Sunday's game marks the 81st time West Ham and Sunderland have faced one another in competitive fixtures. West Ham have won 32, Sunderland 28 and there have been 20 draws.
Overall record v Sunderland (all competitions) W 32 D 20 L 28
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01 Premier League 15th (42 points)
Sunderland
2009/10 Premier League 13th (44 points)
2008/09 Premier League 16th (36 points)
2007/08 Premier League 15th (39 points)
2006/07 Championship 1st (88 points, promoted to Premier League)
2005/06 Premier League 20th (15 points)
2004/05 Championship 1st (94 points, promoted to Premier League)
2003/04 Championship 3rd (79 points)
2002/03 Premier League 20th (19 points)
2001/02 Premier League 17th (40 points)
2000/01 Premier League 7th (57 points)
Referee
• The match referee will be Martin Atkinson, who was in charge when the Hammers won 1-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur on 25 September. He also took charge of Sunderland's 2-0 home success against Stoke City on 6 November.
• He was the man in the middle for Ivory Coast's 1-0 win against Italy at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday 10 August.
• A referee since the age of 16, Atkinson was promoted to the Football League list of assistant referees in 1998. In 2000, Atkinson was promoted to the Select Group of assistant referees, allowing him to run the line in Premier League matches.
• Atkinson joined the National List of referees for the Football League at the start of the 2003/04 season before taking charge of his first Premier League fixture on 20 April 2005 when Manchester City entertained Birmingham City.
• Atkinson was the man in the middle at the 2006 FA Community Shield between Chelsea and Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. He also took charge of the 2008 FA Trophy final between Ebbsfleet United and Torquay United at Wembley Stadium.
• Atkinson refereed two West Ham games last season - the 2-1 defeat at Stoke City on 17 October and the 2-0 home loss against Arsenal on 20 March 2010.
Team news
West Ham United
• Manager Avram Grant is definitely without Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh) and Jack Collison (knee). Collison is hoping to return around the turn of the year, Hitzlsperger has a provisional February comeback date having had surgery on his torn muscle.
• Manuel da Costa has had surgery three weeks ago on an ankle injury and is likely to be missing for up to three months as a result of the problem, which followed a late Cesc Fabregas foul away to Arsenal.
• Mark Noble has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a hip injury suffered in the last minute at Anfield. Valon Behrami may also be missing, having had a hip injury.
• All other members of the squad have been in training.
• Freddie Sears has extended his loan spell at Championship side Scunthorpe United until 3 January 2011.
Sunderland
• John Mensah (shoulder) is hoping to figure despite his injury problems of late. Stephen Reid is out with a hamstring issue.
• Michael Turner and Titus Bramble are likely to still be on the sidelines with knee injuries as is fellow defender Michael Kilgallon (back). David Meyler could be back after a knee injury.
• Fraizer Campbell is missing from the attack with a knee injury.
Background
West Ham United
• No team has been caught offside more than the Hammers this season (53).
• Robert Green is the only Hammers player to have started every one of the 15 league games this season, although Frederic Piquionne has featured in all of those matches either as a starter or off the bench.
• West Ham have yet to score in the first ten minutes of a Barclays Premier League game this season - the quickest strike being Carlton Cole's 12th-minute goal against Newcastle United.
• Danny Gabbidon has the quickest card in the division this season, earning a caution just 1min and 25 seconds into the Fulham home game.
• Scott Parker will make his 100th start for the Hammers if selected in the initial eleven. Danny Gabbidon's next appearance will bring up his century in claret and blue.
Sunderland
• Darren Bent has nine goals in all competitions this season, just two behind Dimitar Berbatov - the country's leading marksman.
• Simon Mignolet has kept five clean sheets for the Black Cats, just three behind Petr Cech of Chelsea in the race for the Barclays Premier League golden gloves.
• Jordan Henderson is the only Sunderland player to start all of their league fixtures, although Steed Malbranque has featured in all of those matches either as a starter or off the bench.
Old boys
• Anton Ferdinand began his career at West Ham's famed Academy, making 163 appearances and scoring five goals for the Hammers before joining Sunderland in August 2008.
• Midfielder Kieran Richardson began his career at West Ham, but failed to make a first team appearance before joining Manchester United in 2002. The 24-year-old joined Sunderland in July 2007.
• Matthew Kilgallon played three times for the Hammers on loan from Leeds United in the 2003/04 season.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Dick Bell, Gary Breen, Clive Clarke, Keith Coleman, Ernest England, John Foreman, Harry Forster, Jack Foster, Harry Hooper, Don Hutchison, George McCartney, Mick McGiven, Andy Melville, Billy Moore, Bryan 'Pop' Robson and Dave Swindlehurst.
Next up
• The Hammers welcome Manchester City on Saturday 11 December for their last home match before Christmas. Sunderland travel to Fulham on the same day.
General information
• For ticket information, click here.
• Sunday evening's forecast in Sunderland is for bitterly cold conditions, with temperatures peaking around the 5C mark.