Neill eyes cup contest

Lucas Neill will lead West Ham United into Carling Cup action again on Tuesday night with the short trip to Watford.

The skipper more than played his part in Saturday's 3-1 home win against Newcastle United and as such confidence is high for the third-round tie. Speaking in his Captain's Blog column, the defender acknowledged that it would not be a straightforward encounter against the Championship club. He said: "We are all excited by the prospect of a good cup run which we hope will end in glory. It will be another tough game but if you want to achieve this glory you have to go and beat teams at their grounds in these games."

Watford are coming off the back of a 2-2 home draw on Saturday against Reading and a night under the lights at Vicarage Road is always a difficult prospect. As such, Neill knows the importance of the away crowd. "In advance, I would like to thank all the fans who will be travelling to that match to support us," he wrote. The tie has to be played to a finish on the night with extra time and penalties a possibility. Should West Ham United triumph, they will be entered in Saturday's fourth-round draw with any tie due to be played on Wednesday 12 November.