WEST HAM UNITED v IPSWICH TOWN
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
TUESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2011
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Ipswich Town knowing a victory would take them into the promotion places in the npower Championship for at least 24 hours with the top two - Southampton and Middlesbrough - not playing until Wednesday.
• The Hammers have collected 17 points from their opening eight league matches to sit in fourth place - it is the club's best start to a league season for 28 years. Ipswich are 13th with ten points from their eight games to date.
• The Hammers, unbeaten in five matches against Ipswich, are seeking a third straight home win for the first time since defeating Stoke City, Fulham and Hull City in January 2009.
• A home win, combined with a draw or defeat for third-placed Derby County at home to Barnsley, would actually take West Ham United top of the table.
• Sam Allardyce's men are also seeking a third consecutive league clean sheet - a feat not achieved since the Hammers defeated Manchester City and Wigan Athletic 1-0 and drew 0-0 with West Bromwich Albion in March 2009.
• In the 2003/04 season, the Hammers had 16 points from eight games - meaning they are one point ahead of where they were eight seasons ago in the Championship, their previous best start to a campaign.
• The Hammers have been the most watched team at home in the Championship this season.
• Sam Allardyce's men are seeking an eighth match unbeaten in the npower Championship this season.
• Ipswich were unchanged on Saturday for their goalless draw at Middlesbrough.
• West Ham United and Ipswich last met in a pre-season friendly on 31 July 2010, when Carlton Cole's 31st-minute goal separated the teams.
• The most recent competitive meetings between the two clubs came in the Division One play-offs at the climax of the 2004/05 season. A 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground was followed by an unforgettable 2-0 win at Portman Road in the second leg, when Bobby Zamora struck two great goals to send the Hammers to Cardiff.
• Mark Noble, who has scored penalties in the last two home games, could make his 150th league appearance for the Hammers. Skipper Kevin Nolan is in line for his 350th regular league game.
• Henri Lansbury and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas were team-mates in the Arsenal youth system before Emmanuel-Thomas signed for Ipswich on a permanent deal last summer.
• Ipswich midfielder Keith Andrews scored for Blackburn Rovers under Sam Allardyce on 21 March 2009 in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United at Ewood Park.
• Robert Green made his senior debut for Norwich City in a goalless Division One draw with Ipswich Town at Carrow Road on 11 April 1999.
• Paul Jewell was Wigan Athletic manager when Brian Deane scored a last-minute goal for West Ham United at the JJB Stadium to secure the Hammers' place in the Division One Play-Offs in 2003/04 at the Latics' expense. After guiding Wigan to promotion alongside West Ham in 2004/05, Jewell was still in charge when West Ham secured a vital 3-0 win at the JJB in April 2007 on their way to escaping relegation from the Premier League.
• Jewell turns 47 on Wednesday.
• The largest crowd to watch a West Ham United versus Ipswich Town fixture was the estimated 58,000 who turned out for the FA Cup semi-final between the two sides at Villa Park on 5 April 1975. Unfortunately for everyone at the stadium, the match finished goalless!
• West Ham United's biggest-ever home victory over Ipswich Town occurred in the first meeting between the two clubs. The Hammers recorded a 5-1 FA Cup third round victory on 7 January 1950. West Ham also enjoyed a 4-0 Division Two win on the Tractor Boys second visit to the Boleyn Ground on 2 April 1955.
• Five players have made their West Ham United debuts against Ipswich Town - Keith Miller (November 1968), Mervyn Day (August 1973), George Cowie (August 1982) and Tony Gale (August 1984) all started their Hammers careers against the Tractor Boys. Matthew Kilgallon began his loan spell from Leeds United against Ipswich in August 2003.
• Bryan 'Pop' Robson made his second 'debut' for West Ham United in a 2-0 home Division One defeat by Ipswich Town on 16 October 1976.
Team news
West Ham United
• The manager could hand a home start to David Bentley after the England midfielder appeared as a second-half substitute against Peterborough United, Millwall and Portsmouth in the last three outings.
• Fellow new recruit Sam Baldock made his debut against The Lions ten days ago and is also pushing for a first start, and Boleyn bow.
• Papa Bouba Diop could also be involved. Freddie Sears impressed in a development squad game at Charlton Athletic last week and is also eager to stake a claim, as is Jack Collison after being rested in the last three matches.
• Guy Demel is making good progress from a hamstring injury that has delayed his debut and could join in full training this week.
• Frederic Piquionne serves the final game of a three-match suspension after being sent-off in the 4-3 npower Championship victory over Portsmouth a fortnight ago.
• Gary O'Neil (ankle) is out with long-term ankle injury. Peter Kurucz is fit again after 14 months out with a knee injury.
• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza and Bristol City respectively. Ahmed Abdulla (Swindon Town), Jordan Brown (Aldershot Town), Robert Hall (Oxford United), Olly Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge), Cristian Montano (Notts County) and Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon) are all out on temporary loans.
Ipswich Town
• Ibrahima Sonko has been battling a knee problem but played the full 90 minutes at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
• Paul Jewell is still without calf injury victim Mark Kennedy.
• Wide man Lee Martin is back in contention after tonsilitis.
Last time out
Saturday 24 September 2011
npower Championship
West Ham United 1-0 Peterborough United
West Ham: Green, O'Brien, McCartney, Faye, Reid, Lansbury, Noble, Nolan, Faubert (Bentley 67), Taylor (Tomkins 90) Cole (Carew 56)
Subs not used: Boffin, Baldock
Goal: Noble 11 pen
Saturday 24 September 2011
npower Championship
Middlesbrough 0-0 Ipswich Town
Ipswich: Stockdale, Edwards, Collins, Sonko, Cresswell, Bullard, Andrews, Bowyer, Leadbitter, Scotland (Murphy 85), Chopra
Subs not used: Lee-Barrett, Delaney, Emmanuel-Thomas, Ainsley
Previous meetings
• The teams last met at the Boleyn Ground on 14 May 2005 in the first leg of their play-off semi-final. Marlon Harewood and Bobby Zamora gave the Hammers a dream start inside 13 minutes before Ipswich scored twice through a Jimmy Walker own goal and Shefki Kuqi.
The lineups were:
West Ham: Walker, Repka, Ferdinand, Ward, Powell, Reo-Coker, Newton (Rebrov 86), Mullins, Etherington, Zamora (Noble 76), Harewood
Subs not used: Bywater, Dailly, Fletcher
Ipswich: Davis, Wilnis, De Vos, Diallo (Richards 46), Naylor, Magilton, Miller, Horlock (Currie 46), Westlake, Bent, Kuqi
Subs not used: Bowditch, Price, Counago
Last six meetings (all league unless stated)
18 May 2005 - Ipswich 0-2 West Ham (Play-Off semi-final, second leg)
14 May 2005 - West Ham 2-2 Ipswich (Play-Off semi-final, first leg)
1 Jan 2005 - Ipswich 0-2 West Ham
18 September 2004 - West Ham 1-1 Ipswich
18 May 2004 - West Ham 2-0 Ipswich (Play-Off semi-final, second leg)
15 May 2004 - Ipswich1-0 West Ham (Play-Off semi-final, first leg)
Overall record v Ipswich Town - W 27 D 20 L 19
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th
2009/10 Premier League 17th
2008/09 Premier League 9th
2007/08 Premier League 10th
2006/07 Premier League 15th
2005/06 Premier League 9th
2004/05 Championship 6th (promoted to Premier League via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th
2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th
Ipswich Town
2010/11 Championship 13th
2009/10 Championship 15th
2008/09 Championship 9th
2007/08 Championship 8th
2006/07 Championship 14th
2005/06 Championship 15th
2004/05 Championship 3rd
2003/04 Championship 5th
2002/03 Championship 7th
2001/02
Referee
• Tuesday's referee will be Keith Stroud. He was the fourth official in the Carling Cup fourth-round win against Stoke City at the Boleyn last October.
• He was also the man in the middle for the friendly match against SSC Napoli on 8 August 2009 at the Boleyn Ground, which the Italian side won 1-0.
Old boys
• Mark Noble played 13 Championship matches on loan for Ipswich in the 2006/07 season, with his first senior goal coming on 12 September 2006 in a 2-1 home win against Coventry City.
• Lee Bowyer made 60 appearances for West Ham United in two spells. The first saw him play eleven games in a six-month spell before a move to Newcastle United in 2003. The midfielder returned to the Boleyn Ground in 2006 for a three-year stay, which saw him play 49 times, scoring five goals.
• East Ham native Jimmy Bullard never played a first-team game for his boyhood team between 1999 and 2001.
• The late, great John Lyall managed Ipswich Town between May 1990 and December 1994. The man who won the 1980 FA Cup with West Ham United enjoyed more success at Portman Road, guiding the Tractor Boys to the Division Two title in 1991/92, ensuring the club would be members of the inaugural Premier League. He later took the role of Director of Football.
• Former West Ham United forward Paul Goddard was appointed as joint-caretaker manager of Ipswich Town alongside John Wark for three games in December 1994 - replacing his former Hammers and Ipswich boss John Lyall.
• The following players are among those to have worn the colours of both West Ham United and Ipswich Town during their careers - Lee Chapman, Kieron Dyer, Justin Fashanu, Craig Forrest, Matt Holland, Kevin Horlock, Robert Johnstone, John Lyall, Andy Nelson, Phil Parkes, Stuart Slater, Gavin Williams and Richard Wright.
Up next
• West Ham United travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday 1 October, the same day as Ipswich welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Portman Road.
General information
• The club will be offering pay on the day for the visit of Ipswich. A large walk-up is expected so fans should get to the ground in good time. Click here for all the information.
• The weather forecast is for a clear evening with temperatures peaking around the 16C mark.