WEST HAM UNITED v BURNLEY
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2011
KICK-OFF: 3PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• West Ham United entertain Burnley in their 20th npower Championship fixture of 2011/12 seeking their sixth home league victory of the season in ten attempts. The Hammers have previously beaten Portsmouth (4-3), Peterborough United (1-0), Blackpool (4-0), Leicester City (3-2) and Derby County (3-1), drawn with Leeds United (2-2) and Bristol City (0-0) and lost to Cardiff City and Ipswich Town (both 0-1).
• Saturday's match sponsors are England Environmental Services and Southern Asbestos Services.
• West Ham United are seeking to record a fifth straight league win for the first time since doing so in January and February 2006. The Hammers are on an unbeaten run of seven league matches, having won six and drawn one of those games. Sam Allardyce's side sit second in the npower Championship table, two points behind leaders Southampton and six points ahead of third-place Cardiff City.
• The Hammers have the best defensive record in the npower Championship, having conceded just 15 goals in 19 league matches.
• West Ham United's 35 league goals have been shared between 14 different players. Carlton Cole leads the way with seven, while Sam Baldock and Kevin Nolan have each netted five times.
• Both of West Ham United's home defeats have come by way of goals in the 89th minute or later. Kenny Miller netted for Cardiff City on the opening weekend of the season, while Lee Bowyer scored for Ipswich Town last time out. Ross McCormack also secured a point for Leeds United with a last-minute strike on 21 August.
• Sam Allardyce has lost just one of ten meetings with Burnley as manager of Blackpool (two wins), Notts County (three draws and one defeat), Bolton Wanderers (one win and one draw) and Blackburn Rovers (two wins).
• West Ham United have scored five goals in each of their previous two home matches against Burnley - a 5-1 FA Cup fifth-round win on 21 February this year preceded by a 5-3 Premier League success on 28 November 2009.
• Burnley arrive at the Boleyn Ground having won their previous two npower Championship fixtures. The Clarets came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Hull City last Saturday before recording a 4-0 home victory over Ipswich Town on Tuesday evening.
• Burnley's recent improvement sees them rise to 14th in the table on 24 points - five adrift of Leicester City in the final Play-Off place.
Team news
West Ham United
• West Ham United have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday's game, while striker John Carew will hope to return after missing Tuesday's win at Middlesbrough. Jack Collison and Joey O'Brien will be pushing for a starting place after being named on the substitutes' bench at the Riverside Stadium.
• Sam Baldock (hamstring), Winston Reid (dislocated shoulder), Gary O'Neil (knee), Henri Lansbury (knee), Ruud Boffin (finger) and David Bentley (knee) are definitely out.
• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza and Bristol City respectively. Ahmed Abdulla (Swindon Town), Cristian Montano (Dagenham & Redbridge), Rob Hall (Oxford United), Herita Ilunga (Doncaster Rovers), Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon) and Frank Nouble (Gillingham) are all out on temporary loans.
Burnley
• Strikers Charlie Austin, Martin Paterson and Danny Ings are all out injured and will not feature in Saturday's game.
• Scotland winger Ross Wallace is available again after missing Tuesday's 4-0 home win over Ipswich Town through suspension.
• Winger Junior Stanislas and striker Zavon Hines will both hope to face their former club. The Academy graduates joined Burnley from West Ham United in August 2011.
• Defenders Clarke Carlisle (Preston North End), Richard Eckersley (Toronto FC), Leon Cort (Charlton Athletic), Kevin Long (Accrington Stanley), midfielders Joe McKee (St Mirren) and David Lynch (Droylsden) and forward Wes Fletcher (Crewe Alexandra) are all out on loan.
Last time out
Tuesday 29 November 2011
npower Championship
Middlesbrough 0-2 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, McCartney, Tomkins, Faye, Faubert, Demel (O'Brien 79), Nolan, Taylor, Noble, Diop, Piquionne (Cole 68)
Subs not used: Stech, Collison, Sears
Goals: Piquionne 9, Cole 90
Tuesday 29 November 2011
npower Championship
Burnley 4-0 Ipswich Town
Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Duff, Edgar, Mee, McCann, Stanislas, Bartley (Marney 50), Treacy, Rodriguez (MacDonald 82), Vokes (Hines 80)
Subs not used: Stewart, Easton
Goals: Vokes 33, McCann 45, 66, Rodriguez 77
Last six meetings
21 February 2011 West Ham United 5-1 Burnley (FA Cup fifth round)
6 February 2010 Burnley 2-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
28 November 2009 West Ham United 5-3 Burnley (Premier League)
5 April 2005 Burnley 0-1 West Ham United (Championship)
28 August 2004 West Ham United 1-0 Burnley (Championship)
2 March 2004 Burnley 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
Overall record v Burnley (all competitions) W 31 D 16 L 30
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)
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 Division One 4th
2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th
Burnley
2010/11 Championship 8th
2009/10 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2008/09 Championship 5th (promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2007/08 Championship 13th
2006/07 Championship 15th
2005/06 Championship 17th
2004/05 Championship 13th
2003/04 Division One 19th
2002/03 Division One 16th
2001/02 Division One 7th
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be 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.
• In 15 matches in all competitions, Graham has shown a total of 43 yellow cards and sent three players off. He has also awarded three penalties.
• However, throughout his seven-year career as a Football League referee, he has never taken charge of a fixture involving either West Ham United or Burnley.
• Graham will be assisted by Neil Hair and John Hopkins, while the fourth official will be Ashley Slaughter.
Us and them
• The following players have worn the colours of both West Ham United and Burnley during their careers - Reg Attwell, Frank Birchenough, Alan Brown, Herman Conway, Joe Gallagher, Zavon Hines, William Jenkinson, F.Kippax, Tyrone Mears, Walter Pollard, Junior Stanislas and Jack Tresadern.
• John Bond, who was part of the West Ham United side that won the FA Cup in 1964, was appointed as Burnley manager in July 1983 and spent 13 months in charge at Turf Moor.
• The first-ever meeting between West Ham United and Burnley took place at Turf Moor on 17 November 1923, when the Clarets ran out 5-1 winners in Division One. That clash also saw the smallest-ever crowd to witness a match between the two clubs - an estimated 5,000.
• West Ham United have enjoyed an excellent run of form against the Clarets, with nine wins and two draws from their last 12 meetings.
• Burnley have not won at the Boleyn Ground on any of their previous nine visits. The Clarets' most recent win in east London came in the shape of a 1-0 victory on 6 October 1973.
• West Ham United were 3-2 quarter-final winners against the Clarets on route to winning the FA Cup in 1963/64. That fixture was also watched by the largest-ever crowd to witness a match between the two clubs - 36,651.
• Goalkeeper Frank Birchenough made just one appearance for West Ham United - a 2-1 Division Two defeat at Nottingham Forest in April 1920 - before joining Burnley later the same year. Crewe-born Birchenough would make only two first-team appearances for the Clarets.
• Chile attacker Luis Jimenez scored his only goal in West Ham United colours from the penalty spot in the aforementioned 5-3 home victory in November 2009.
• West Ham United's largest home victory over Burnley is the 5-0 Division One success achieved on 26 August 1968. Future Knights Trevor Brooking and Geoff Hurst each scored twice, while Martin Peters was also on target in a game that saw the Hammers go top of the table in front of 28,430 supporters.
• Burnley's biggest win at the Boleyn Ground came on 31 May 1947, when the Clarets triumphed 5-0 in Division Two in front of a 30,000-strong crowd.
Up next
• West Ham United travel to Reading for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday 10 December. Burnley host Portsmouth at the same time.
General information
• Saturday's weather forecast is for sunny intervals with a maximum daytime temperature of 10C (50F).