WEST HAM UNITED v BARNSLEY
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY 17 DECEMBER 2011
KICK-OFF: 3PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST
Introduction
• West Ham United entertain Barnsley in their 22nd npower Championship fixture of 2011/12 seeking their sixth home league victory of the season in eleven 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, Ipswich Town (both 1-0) and Burnley (2-1).
• Barnsley arrive on the back of a 5-3 defeat at home to Ipswich Town, having previously won four games in a row. They have won their last two awaydays against Peterborough United (4-3) and Leeds United (2-1). The Tykes are 12th on 30 points, five adrift of the Play-Off positions.
• Sam Allardyce's side sit second in the npower Championship table, two points behind leaders Southampton and two points ahead of third-place Middlesbrough.
• West Ham United's 36 league goals have been shared between 14 different players. Carlton Cole leads the way with seven, Kevin Nolan has six while Sam Baldock has five.
Team news
West Ham United
• West Ham United are still without Matt Taylor (calf), Winston Reid (shoulder), Sam Baldock (hamstring).
• Guy Demel faces a spell on the sidelines after tearing a thigh muscle at Reading.
• Joey O'Brien and Jack Collison are both suspended. O'Brien will return for the Boxing Day match at Birmingham City while Collison cannot play again until Coventry City visit on 2 January.
• Henri Lansbury will be hoping to be involved after travelling to Reading last week but not making the matchday 16.
• Ruud Boffin is back in full training after recovering from a dislocated finger.
• Gary O'Neil (ankle) has played two periods of 45 minutes for the development squad during the previous fortnight but is still at least five weeks away from a first-team return after eight months out.• Dan Potts could be involved in the matchday 16 for the first time since Hull City on 5 November. George Moncur, Olly Lee and Brian Montenegro, fresh from a goal for Paraguay U20s during a recent training camp back in South America, are also possibles for inclusion.
Barnsley
• Barnsley will be without Manchester United loanee Danny Drinkwater, who has a torn thigh muscle.
• Scotland left-back Jay McEveley should be fit for Saturday's game after recovering from a thigh strain and could return to the starting line-up in place of Scott Wiseman.
• Defenders Rob Edwards and Miles Addison are pushing for recalls after Barnsley conceded five goals at home to Ipswich Town last weekend.
• On-loan Newcastle United forward Nile Ranger is expected to have to make do with a place on the substitutes' bench due to the form of Craig Davies and Ricardo Vaz Te.
Last time out
Saturday 10 December 2011
npower Championship
Reading 3-0 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Demel (O'Brien 4), Faye, Tomkins, McCartney, Noble, Bouba Diop (Cole 57), Nolan, Faubert, Piquionne (Carew 72), Collison
Subs not used: Stech, Sears
Saturday 10 December 2011
npower Championship
Barnsley 3-5 Ipswich Town
Barnsley: Steele, Hassell, Foster, Wiseman, McNulty, O'Brien (Ranger 71), Perkins, Butterfield, Drinkwater (Done 17), Davies, Vaz Te (Haynes 66)
Subs not used: Preece, Addison
Goals: Davies 14 pen, 89, Vaz Te 39
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
Barnsley
2010/11 Championship, 17th
2009/10 Championship, 18th
2008/09 Championship, 20th
2007/08 Championship, 18th
2006/07 Championship, 20th
2005/06 League One, 5th (promoted via Play-Offs)
2004/05 League One, 13th
2003/04 Division Two, 12th
2002/03 Division Two, 19th
2001/02 Division One, 23rd (relegated to Division Two)
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be Scott Mathieson, who took charge of the Hammers' 1-0 win at Doncaster Rovers on 11 August
He had the honour of getting the 2011/12 npower Football League season up and running when he took charge of Blackpool's 1-0 win at Hull City on Friday 5 August.
• His only other West Ham United match to date came with the 1-1 draw at Walsall on 20 December 2003.
Us and them
• The following players have worn the colours of both West Ham United and Barnsley - Anton Otulakowski, Joseph Jackson and Kyel Reid
• West Ham have not lost at home to Barnsley since the Yorkshire club's 5-2 win in the League Cup second round second leg on 6 October 1987. The Hammers had taken a 2-0 lead through Kevin Keen and Stewart Robson, only for the Tykes to hit back through two Steve Agnew goals and score three times more in extra time.
• Barnsley have won just twice in 28 attempts against West Ham at the Boleyn Ground. Aside from the aforementioned League Cup tie, the Tykes secured their only other success in east London by way of a 2-0 victory on 8 September 1919.
• West Ham have won the last four meetings of the sides, and have not conceded in the last three.
• West Ham's biggest home win against Barnsley came in the last league meeting. The Hammers were 6-0 winners on 10 January 1998, with goals from Frank Lampard, Samassi Abou (two), John Moncur, John Hartson and Stan Lazaridis.
• Barnsley's best day at Upton Park was a 5-2 triumph in the League Cup on 6 October 1987.
• West Ham United's first-ever away Football League fixture saw the Hammers travel to Barnsley on 1 September 1919. The Division Two fixture ended in a 7-0 victory for the Tykes in front of a 6,000-strong crowd at Oakwell.
• Sam Allardyce never lost to Barnsley in four matches as a manager. During his time at Bolton Wanderers, Big Sam recorded two wins and a draw in Division One, including a Division One 'double' in 2000/01. He also guided Newcastle United to a 2-0 Carling Cup victory over the Tykes in August 2007.
• West Ham United first-team coach Wally Downes played under former Barnsley manager Dave Bassett for three years at Wimbledon between 1984 and 1987.
• West Ham United have won each of their previous three meetings with Barnsley in all competitions, scoring eleven goals without reply.
• Barnsley have only ever won one league match at the Boleyn Ground - a 2-0 Division Two victory on 8 September 1919. Since then, the Tykes have failed to win any of their 21 league visits to east London.
• Burnley's biggest league win at the Boleyn Ground was also their only success in 22 attempts - a 2-0 Division Two victory on 8 September 1919.
• The Tykes did record one other win at the Boleyn Ground - a 5-2 League Cup second-round second leg victory on 6 October 1987. At the time, Barnsley were a Division Two club, while John Lyall's Hammers were in Division One. Kevin Keen and Stewart Robson were on target for West Ham United. At 12,403, the game also attracted the smallest-ever gate for a West Ham United versus Barnsley fixture.
• The largest crowd to witness a West Ham United versus Barnsley fixture was the 31,000 who witness both a goalless draw on 26 March 1937 and a 4-1 Hammers win on 16 October of the same year. Both matches took place in Division Two.
• Ten players have made their West Ham United debuts against Barnsley - Horace Biggin and Tommy Green (both 1 September 1919), George Kay (8 September 1919), Harry Hooper (February 1951), Ray Stewart (September 1979), Jimmy Quinn (January 1990), Peter Butler and Mark Robson (both August 1992), Eyal Berkovic and David Terrier (both August 1997).
• French defender David Terrier made his only West Ham United appearance as a substitute for Paul Kitson in a 2-1 Premier League win at Barnsley on 9 August 1997.
• Kevin Nolan scored home and away for Newcastle United against Barnsley during the 2009/10 Championship season. Nolan netted the opener in a 2-2 draw at Oakwell on 12 December 2009 and the final goal in a 6-1 victory at St James' Park on 6 March 2010 - a game in which Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele was sent-off.
• Freddie Piquionne's last goal at Upton Park came in the FA Cup meeting between the clubs on 8 January this year. The Hammers were 2-0 winners to progress to the fourth round, with Jonathan Spector scoring the opener on 29 minutes before Piquionne's added-time goal.
The lineups were:
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Reid, Tomkins, Boa Morte, Hines (Edgar 90), Spector, Noble, Barrera, Obinna (Parker 76), Nouble (Piquionne 83)
Subs: Boffin, Spence, Upson, Sears
Barnsley: Steele, Hassell, Shackell, Foster, Hill, Trippier (O'Brien 69), Arismendi (Colace 77), Hammill, Doyle, Lovre (Butterfield 56), O'Connor
Subs: Preece, Neumann, Gray, Bennett
Head to head (last six meetings, league unless stated)
8 January 2011 - West Ham United 2-0 Barnsley (FA Cup third round)
3 January 2009 - West Ham United 3-0 Barnsley (FA Cup third round)
10 January 1998 - West Ham United 6-0 Barnsley
9 August 1997 - Barnsley 1-2 West Ham United
6 February 1993 - West Ham United 1-1 Barnsley
24 January 1993 - Barnsley 4-1 West Ham United (FA Cup fourth round)
Overall record v Barnsley (all competitions): W 30, D 14, L 9
Up next
• West Ham United travel to Birmingham City on Boxing Day with the 5.30pm match to be televised on Sky Sports. Barnsley welcome Blackpool at 3pm on the same day.
General information
• Saturday's weather forecast is for a bright but chilly day, with temperatures peaking around the 5C mark.
• The match is sold out.