IPSWICH TOWN v WEST HAM UNITED
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
TUESDAY 31 JANUARY 2012
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM

FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

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Important travel information

Train engineering works will be taking place between Ipswich and London on Tuesday evening. National Express East Anglia have laid on an extra through train to London after the game against West Ham. There are now two through trains, at 21:43 and 21:58, for supporters travelling back towards London after the match.

Engineering works by Network Rail between Witham and Shenfield means that trains departing Ipswich heading towards Stratford and London after 10pm will involve a bus journey for any fans travelling beyond Shenfield, adding at least 40 minutes to their travel time.

Introduction

• West Ham United travel to Ipswich Town seeking a fourth successive npower Championship victory and three points that could see them double their advantage at the top of the table. Should the Hammers prevail at Portman Road, they would record four straight wins for the second time this season, having already done so by beating Hull City, Coventry City, Derby County and Middlesbrough in November 2011.

• West Ham United go into Tuesday's game having collected more points (27) away from home than any other side in the npower Championship. Only Leeds United (23) have scored more goals on their travels than Sam Allardyce's side, who have managed 21.

• The Hammers will be seeking to gain revenge for the 1-0 home defeat they suffered in the reverse league fixture at the Boleyn Ground on 27 September 2011. Ipswich Town's goal was scored in the last minute by former West Ham United midfielder Lee Bowyer.

• West Ham United and Ipswich last met at Portman Road in a pre-season friendly on 31 July 2010, when Carlton Cole's 31st-minute goal separated the teams.

• The most recent competitive meeting at Portman Road came in the Division One Play-Off semi-finals at the climax of the 2004/05 season. A 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground was followed by an unforgettable 2-0 win in Suffolk in the second leg, when Bobby Zamora struck two goals to send the Hammers to the final in Cardiff.

• Ipswich Town go into Tuesday's fixture sitting 21st in the npower Championship table. The Tractor Boys have amassed 28 points from 27 league matches and have failed to win any of their previous seven league matches - a run dating back to a 1-0 home victory over Derby County on 17 December 2011.

Us and Them

• 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.

• 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.

• Winston Reid and Ipswich Town centre-back Tommy Smith lined up alongside one another three times at the heart of the New Zealand defence at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

• 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.

• 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.

• The largest crowd to watch an Ipswich Town versus West Ham United fixture was for the aforementioned Division One Play-Off semi-final second-leg on 18 May 2005, when 30,010 supporters turned out to see West Ham win 2-0 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate.

• West Ham United's biggest-ever away victories at Ipswich Town were the 3-0 successes achieved in Division Two in their first visit to Portman Road on 13 November 1954 and in a Division One fixture on 3 March 1984.

• 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

• Papa Bouba Diop is a doubt after injuring his hamstring in the 2-1 home win over Nottingham Forest on 21 January. Henri Lansbury could deputise.

• Guy Demel is making good progress from a thigh injury suffered at Reading on 10 December and could feature after appearing in two Development Squad matches in the past week.

• Matt Taylor is also in contention to return after missing eight matches with a calf problem. Taylor has also been involved in Development Squad fixtures against Gillingham and Southend United in the past week.

• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza and Bristol City respectively. Peter Kurucz (Rochdale), Ahmed Abdulla, Cristian Montano, Eoin Wearen (all Dagenham and Redbridge), Callum Driver (Burton Albion) and George Moncur (AFC Wimbledon) are all out on temporary loans.

Ipswich Town

• Ipswich Town could hand a debut to Ryan Stevenson after the midfielder completed a move from Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian. The Tractor Boys have also been linked with a move for Falkirk centre-back Murray Wallace.

• Tractor Boys boss Paul Jewell has allowed Hungarian striker Tamas Priskin and midfielder Shane O'Connor to leave the club during the January transfer window.

• Striker Ronan Murray is unavailable after re-joining League Two club Swindon Town for a second loan spell. Murray scored twice for Ipswich Town in a Development Squad victory over the Hammers earlier this season.

Last time out

Saturday 21 January 2012
npower Championship
West Ham United 2-1 Nottingham Forest
West Ham United: Green, Reid, McCartney, Tomkins, Faubert, Nolan, Collison, Noble, Diop (Lansbury 45), Baldock (Hall 79),  Cole (Piquionne 85)
Subs not used: Faye, Carew
Goals: Noble 45 (pen), 63 (pen)

Saturday 24 September 2011
npower Championship
Middlesbrough 0-0 Ipswich Town
Ipswich: McCarthy, Cresswell, Edwards, Smith, Sonko, Emmanuel-Thomas, Martin, Drury, Hyam (Bullard 85), Murphy (Chopra 83), Scotland (Lee-Barrett 71)
Subs not used: Delaney, Leadbitter
Goal: Drury 34

Previous meetings

• The teams last met at the Boleyn Ground on 27 September 2011 in npower Championship. Lee Bowyer's 89th-minute winner was the only difference between the sides as West Ham's seven-match unbeaten run came to an end on a balmy September evening. The lineups were:

West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Tomkins, Faye, McCartney, Lansbury (Collison 65), Noble (Faubert 90), Nolan, Bentley, Baldock, Cole (Carew 64)
Subs: Boffin, Bouba Diop

Ipswich Town: Stockdale, Cresswell, Collins, Sonko, Leadbitter, Edwards, Bowyer, Andrews, Bullard, Scotland (Ellington 85), Chopra (Delaney 90)
Subs: Lee-Barrett, Ainsley, Emmanuel-Thomas

Last six meetings (all league unless stated)

27 September 2011 - West Ham United 0-1 Ipswich Town
18 May 2005 - Ipswich Town 0-2 West Ham United (Play-Off semi-final, second leg)
14 May 2005 - West Ham United 2-2 Ipswich Town (Play-Off semi-final, first leg)
1 Jan 2005 - Ipswich Town 0-2 West Ham United
18 September 2004 - West Ham United 1-1 Ipswich Town
18 May 2004 - West Ham United 2-0 Ipswich Town (Play-Off semi-final, second leg)

Overall record v Ipswich Town - W 27 D 20 L 20

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 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)

Referee

• Tuesday's referee will be 47-year-old Fred Graham.

• After his playing career was cut short by injury in 1988, Graham took up refereeing. He made his debut as a Football League referee on the opening day of the 2004/05 season when he was the man in the middle for Notts County's 1-1 League Two draw with Chester City at Meadow Lane.

• The highlight of Graham's career was taking charge of the npower League One Play-Off final between Millwall and Swindon Town at Wembley in May 2010.

• This season, Graham has been busy, refereeing matches in all three divisions of the Football League, as well as the FA Cup and Carling Cup. He took charge of West Ham United's 2-1 home npower Championship defeat by Burnley on 3 December 2011.

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 during a spell with 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 host Millwall at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday 4 February for a 12.30pm kick-off. Ipswich Town travel to the Ricoh Arena to face relegation rivals Coventry City for a 3pm kick-off on the same day.

General information

• All 2,200 standard tickets for Tuesday's fixture at Portman Road have SOLD OUT.

• The weather forecast is for a cloudy evening with temperatures peaking around the 3C (38F) mark.