Final score - Ipswich Town 5-1 West Ham United

95 mins - The game is over. West Ham's heaviest defeat of the season and a real wake-up call for anyone who thought promotion was going to be a foregone conclusion. West Ham will improve on Saturday against Millwall - they have to.

94 mins - GOAL! The corner is cleared and West Ham are caught out again at the back. This time Scotland holds the ball up before passing to Emmanuel-Thomas, who side-foots low past Green and into the far corner. This has been a bad night.

94 mins - Into the final minute and Nouble wins a corner. Hall to take again.

92 mins - The corner is half-cleared and Collison's shot is blocked. Scotland holds up on halfway before Martin springs the offside trap and goes down in the box. The referee blows his whistle...and books Martin for simulation.

91 mins - Into four added minutes and the only silver lining tonight is that Southampton and Cardiff are still drawing 1-1. Back here, Reid wins a corner, which Hall will take left-footed.

89 mins - The agony is nearly over for the 2,000-plus away fans in the Cobbold Stand. This has arguably been West Ham's worst performance of the season, along with the 3-0 reverse at Reading before Christmas. Big Sam will demand an improvement at home to Millwall on Satuday.

87 mins - Tomkins has a go now, racing forward and then shooting. He too gets it all wrong and the ball flies into the home fans.

86 mins - Ipswich waste a chance for a fifth goal as Smith gets forward from the back. He could square for Scotland but shoots instead but slices the shot well wide of the target.

85 mins - Nouble finds some space on the right-hand side of the Town box. He shoots low across Lee-Barrett but the home goalkeeper is there again to make the save low down.

83 mins - Ipswich are looking for a fifth as Edwards crosses from the right. Opposite number Faubert is there to head clear.

79 mins - Baldock has another go with a shot on the turn from Collison's pass, but it dribbles wide. Chropra goes off to be replaced by Jason Scotland.

77 mins - Believe it or not, West Ham have had eight goal attempts to Ipswich's seven. That, of course, is not the important statistic, but it shows the quality of the home side's finishing tonight.

75 mins - And another... Faubert hits Nouble's pass into the box first-time. Nolan runs on to it and sidefoots his effort from 18 yards...straight at Lee-Barrett.

74 mins - Another chance goes begging. McCartney gets in behind on to a fine pass and slides the cross into the centre. Baldock is there but his effort flies wide. To be fair to the No7, he was sliding as he hit that.

73 mins - Birmingham are now 4-1 up at Leeds. Nikola Zigic has got all four! The Blues will be up to fourth if results stay the way they are...

71 mins - A poor header almost lets in Baldock, but his own header is high and loops into the hands of the goalkeeper.

70 mins - A double change for the Hammers. Hall and Nouble are on for Taylor and Cole. Can the youth spark an amazing late comeback?

69 mins - Good chance. Cresswell's clearance goes straight into the air and drops to Cole. He lays off to Lansbury, who shoots straight at Lee-Barrett from 20 yards.

68 mins - Faubert wins a corner. Taylor curls the ball over and Lee-Barrett punches clear. The cross comes in from the other side and is flicked on by Cole, but the shot is straight at the goalkeeper from Reid.

67 mins - All four of Ipswich's goals tonight have been avoidable. Big Sam will be really disappointed with the way his team has defended all over the pitch.

64 mins - GOAL! Game over. That all came from a poor pass in midfield that nearly let Chopra in. West Ham never properly cleared their lines and when Reid headed the ball straight to Hyam, he found Emmanuel-Thomas 30 yards out. The former Arsenal man is given time and space to shoot left-footed and the ball flies low and in off the base of the right-hand post.

62 mins - Southampton have levelled things up against Cardiff. It's 1-1 at St Mary's.

60 mins - So nearly a lifeline for the Hammers. Nolan lifts a pass over Smith for Baldock to chase. Lee-Barrett is out smartly but cannot hold on to the ball. Cole gets to the loose ball but Lee-Barrett makes another save. Collison is then crowded out and the chance is lost.

58 mins - Ravel Morrison has signed from Manchester United until summer 2015. Full story here.

57 mins - There are 2,053 Hammers fans here today out of a total of more than 22,000. At present, it doesn't look like they will have much to cheer here. However, they might be pleased with this news...

55 mins - It nearly gets worse for West Ham as Emmanuel-Thomas forces Green into a scrambling save low to his left. Ipswich have a corner, but the ball bounces off a defender and into the goalkeeper's arms.

53 mins - Jewell will be more than happy with the way the game is going at present. Ipswich, if anything, are carrying the greater threat. Nolan gives the ball away and Ipswich win a throw deep in Hammers territory.

50 mins - It's not quite happening for West Ham yet. Taylor and McCartney still seem the most likely combination to open up Ipswich, but at present their one-twos are coming to nothing of note.

48 mins - Taylor crosses right-footed and Baldock is up against the much taller Smith. He fouls the centre-back.

47 mins - Stand by for some big transfer news at 9pm! It's 4-4-2 from West Ham with Baldock partnering Cole in attack.

46 mins - West Ham kick-off and immediately win a throw inside the Ipswich half. After some pinball on the edge of the box, the home side clear their lines.

Mark Noble is replaced by Sam Baldock at the break.

Half-time score - Ipswich Town 3-1 West Ham United

The referee is getting booed off! And Ipswich are 3-1 up! Paul Jewell has also had a word with Mr Graham, as did the West Ham players. I'm told Collison was also booked in the lead-up to the penalty for kicking the ball away.

49 mins - After three and a half minutes of added-time - and the physio has not been on the pitch - the half-time whistle blows.

48 mins - GOAL! Another goal. Martin runs up and sends Green the wrong way from 12 yards, sliding the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

48 mins - Martin to take...

47 mins - You will not believe this... Ipswich have a penalty! McCartney is booked for a foul on Chopra, although it looked soft. The Northern Irishman cannot believe it.

45 mins - GOAL! The mountain has halved in height! McCartney wins a free-kick from Emmanuel-Thomas. Noble lifts the free-kick over and the unmarked Collison flicks an inch-perfect header into the corner.

44 mins - GOAL! Ipswich double their lead. The right-wing corner is won in the air by Smith and his header is flicked into the roof of the net by Murphy. West Ham have a mountain to climb.

44 mins - Cardiff lead at Southampton as Reid concedes another corner, and from it....

42 mins - Now Ipswich have another corner. Murphy causing the trouble again and his cross is put behind by Faubert. The initial corner is cleared by Noble to Martin. He crosses again and Chopra misses his header. Green sticks out a leg and just stops the ball. Cole slices his clearance and when the cross comes back in, Chopra is offside.

41 mins - Taylor lifts the ball over for McCartney and Cole to chase. Sonko panics a bit and hoofs the ball out for a corner. Noble lifts the ball to the far post where Tomkins rises and glances his header wide. Frustrating. Watford lead at Millwall...

39 mins - Barnsley are now 3-0 up against Derby and Birmingham have equalised at Leeds.

36 mins - Faubert crosses from deep and Lee-Barrett makes a confident catch. Moments eariler, McCartney had tried to beat Edwards but the Trinidad and Tobago man had stood firm. He's having a good game, is the Ipswich right-back.

34 mins - Noble loses his footing and Ipswich attack through Emmanuel-Thomas and then Murphy. The Irishman curls over a cross and Chopra is unmarked, but offside. He heads the ball anyway and it's straight at Green.

31 mins - Good defending by Edwards. Cole and Nolan help the ball on and Taylor is into the box, but the right-back had tracked his run and gets in and nips the ball away before smashing out for a throw. The cross then comes over and Cole is caught offside.

30 mins - Cole collects Tomkins' long ball and holds up play before finding Faubert. He wins a throw. Lansbury then controls the ball on his chest and hooks the cross over, but it's high and an easy claim for Lee-Barrett.

28 mins - Barnsley, Burnley and Leeds all lead in the npower Championship, but it's still 0-0 at St Mary's between Southampton and Cardiff City.

26 mins - Good delivery and headed over his own crossbar by Cresswell. The third corner is punched clear by Lee-Barrett from virtually on his own goal line. West Ham waste a throw-in and Ipswich can clear their lines.

25 mins - That's a lot better as Cole runs at Sonko and wins a corner off Smith. Noble takes and the ball flicks off a home head and goes out for another flag-kick. Taylor to take this time...

24 mins - Ipswich have got themselves back into the game and are now carrying the greater threat. West Ham are struggling to keep possession at the moment and it means they're not putting together any sustained attacking moves.

21 mins - Green is still getting plenty of stick from the home fans. To be fair, he had absolutely no chance with the goal. Chopra was unmarked and only about 15 yards out, Back here, he watches as Murphy skips past Faubert and sends a low cross along the face of the six-yard box. Thankfully, McCartney is there to clear.

18 mins - West Ham are bang on top here. Faubert gallops forward and puts in a great cross that Edwards does well to flick clear with his head. Moments later, Noble's shot is charged down. If they can get level soon, the Hammers will go on and win this...

17 mins - Noble is back on!

16 mins - Well played Lansbury. First he intercepts Martin's short corner, then he makes 50 yards before being fouled. Taylor gets a cross in at the second attempt and the ball is worked to Nolan. He is inside the box, but chooses to cross first-time and slices the ball behind.

15 mins - Still no sign of Noble as Ipswich win a free-kick on halfway. Martin gets forward and wins a corner off Tomkins. West Ham need to be on their guard here.

13 mins - West Ham are going well with ten men! Cole receives a pass from Faubert and wins a corner. Taylor whips it in and Chopra clears from under his own crossbar. The ball bounces to the far side and Lansbury slides in to concede the throw.

10 mins - It's all going on. Green slices a clearance and Chopra nearly benefits. Emmanuel-Thomas feeds the ball back in and Tomkins is there to clear. Mark Noble has left the pitch for some reason. He might have had a knock to the face and need some stitches, apparently.

8 mins - I think we might see a few more goals tonight. Lansbury finds Taylor, who passes the ball square to Nolan. He turns and picks out Lansbury again 30 yards out. The No22 looks up and shoots but the effort slides a few yards wide of the target.

6 mins - Aargh! Collison runs down the left and finds Taylor. He curls over the cross and Cole gets above his marker and wins the header. The ball loops and Lee-Barrett just watches as it bounces back off the inside of the post and into his arms. So close to an equaliser.

4 mins - West Ham try to hit back immediately but Taylor's header for Lansbury is cut out. The No14 gets the ball back but he is crowded out on the edge of the penalty area. Ipswich break and Faubert has to be alert to make a sliding challenge on inside the box.

3 mins - GOAL! That's not the best of starts... Emmanuel-Thomas holds the ball up on the edge of the box, holding off two challenges before slotting the ball into Chopra, who takes a touch and rifles the ball high past Green from 16 yards.

1 min - Within 25 seconds Ipswich nearly take the lead! Murphy gets in behind Faubert and crosses low across the six-yard box. Reid is there to hack behind for a corner. The delivery is decent, but Tomkins is there to complete the clearance.

7.44pm - Ipswich are going to kick-off through Martin and Chopra. In fact, we're underway a minute early...

7.43pm - I've got a rather large pillar in front of me, which means I can't see the centre-circle. Let's hope we don't have a midfield stalemate tonight! Rob Green gets a good welcome as he jogs to the North Stand end of the ground. He used to play for Norwich City, you see!

7.41pm - Here come the two teams, led by captains Ibrahima Sonko and Kevin Nolan. West Ham are in claret and blue shirts, sky blue shorts and white socks. Ipswich have blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks on. All you can hear are the West Ham fans singing 'Come on you Irons!' from the Cobbold Stand opposite.

7.40pm - So, kick-off is fast approaching and we're being treated to a medley of hard rock hits here at Portman Road. We've had a bit of Guns'n'Roses and Foreigner and now we're having some classic Survivor 'Eye of the Tiger' action. Talk about big-match build-up...

7.20pm - The return of Matt Taylor is a big boost for the Hammers. The No14 is West Ham's leading goal-maker this season with six assists. His corners and free-kicks caused havoc earlier in the season. Taylor has not played since the 2-1 home defeat by Burnley on 3 December.

6.55pm - The team news is in! Two changes for the Hammers as the injured Papa Bouba Diop and Sam Baldock drop out - Baldock to the bench. Into their places come the fit-again Matt Taylor and Henri Lansbury.

Ipswich Town: Lee-Barrett, Cresswell, Edwards, Sonko, Smith, Martin, Emmanuel-Thomas, Chopra, Drury, Hyam, Murphy
Subs: Wright, Delaney, Leadbitter, Scotland, Bullard

West Ham United: Green, Faubert, McCartney, Tomkins, Reid, Noble, Collison, Nolan, Lansbury, Taylor, Cole
Subs: Baldock, Faye, Nouble, Hall, O'Neil

6.35pm - If you haven't seen the news yet, Peter Kurucz has extended his loan spell at npower League One club Rochdale until 4 March. Striker Paul McCallum, 18, has also joined The Dale on loan until the same date.

6.30pm - The team coach is here - with Big Sam on it! The players have made their way into the Away Dressing Room and we should have the team news within 20 minutes.

6.10pm - The West Ham United team coach should arrive at Portman Road very soon. There will not be any new faces on it, save for George John, but we hope to have news of an exciting new signing or two soon. Stay tuned to @whufc_official on twitter and whufc.com for all the latest confirmed deals!

Good evening and welcome to Portman Road for tonight's npower Championship fixture between Ipswich Town and West Ham United. Both clubs need the three points for different reasons, with the Hammers three points clear at the top and Ipswich just one place above the relegation zone.

West Ham went top of the table courtesy of their 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on 21 January and stayed there when Southampton were beaten at home by Leicester City two days later. With the Saints entertaining third-place Cardiff City at St Mary's tonight, there is an opportunity for Sam Allardyce's men to extend their lead at the top to five points.

Big Sam welcomes back Matt Taylor and Guy Demel from injury, while on-loan FC Dallas defender George John will hope to be involved for the first time. Mark Noble returns to the club where he enjoyed a loan spell between August and November 2006.

For the Tractor Boys, a number of ex-Hammers are unlikely to be involved. Lee Bowyer has a thigh injury, while Richard Wright has been out of first-team contention in recent weeks. Jimmy Bullard has been on the substitutes' bench for the previous two matches.

The two teams will be announced at 6.45pm and posted first on the club's official twitter feed.