FA Cup third round
West Ham United v Barnsley
Saturday 8 January 2011
3pm
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
• West Ham United welcome Championship side Barnsley to the Boleyn Ground as they begin their challenge for the FA Cup. The teams last met in the same round of the same competition two years ago - on 3 January 2009. The Hammers won 3-0 that day.
• Tickets are pay on the day with the Hammers making all seats just £10 for kids and £15 for adults. Season ticket holders get an extra £5 off. Click here to buy.
• Both teams went out in the third-round last season, the Hammers to Arsenal and the Tykes to Scunthorpe United.
• West Ham have won the FA Cup three times in their history - in 1964, 1975 and 1980 and finished as runners-up twice - in 1923 and 2006.
• Barnsley have won the FA Cup once - in 1912 - and were runners-up in 1910.
• The pair have met on one previous occasion prior to 2009 in the FA Cup. Barnsley won a fourth round tie 4-1 at Oakwell on 24 January 1993. Striker Andy Liddell struck a hat-trick for the Tykes, while Trevor Morley scored the Hammers' consolation in a game notable for freezing temperatures and a mid-match snow storm.
• 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 current first-team coach 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 27 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.
• Barnsley reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 2008, beating Blackpool, Southend United, Liverpool and Chelsea before going down 1-0 to Cardiff City at Wembley in the last-four.
• That win against Chelsea on 8 March 2008, was against a team managed by Avram Grant - who would bounce back to take the Blues to within a spot-kick of winning the UEFA Champions League. Kaye Odejayi scored the only goal in the 66th minute.
• Barnsley won their first game in four matches with a defeat of Coventry City on Monday but have failed to win away since a road success at Ipswich Town on 13 November.
• West Ham return to Carling Cup action on Tuesday night with the semi-final first leg against Birmingham City at the Boleyn Ground, kick-off is at 7.45pm.
• Should the match finish level after 90 minutes, a replay will be held at Oakwell on Tuesday 19 January. The fourth-round draw is on ESPN on Sunday afternoon.
Team news
• Manager Avram Grant is definitely without Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh), Jack Collison (knee) and Manuel da Costa (ankle). None are expected to return before February at the earliest. Goalkeeper Peter Kurucz (knee) is not expected to play at all this season.
• Herita Ilunga (hamstring), Kieron Dyer (thigh), Benni McCarthy (calf) and Junior Stanislas are suffering with muscle problems that will keep them out.
• Lars Jacobsen is back in full training having been kept out with a troublesome heel since the Wigan Athletic match on 27 November. Fellow defender Matt Fry has extended his loan at Charlton Athletic for another month, although is cup-tied for the Hammers in the FA Cup.
• Tal Ben Haim has returned to Portsmouth after his loan spell.
• The likes of Ruud Boffin, Jordan Spence, Zavon Hines, Anthony Edgar and Frank Nouble could all be pushing for inclusion with Avram Grant set to give at least two youngsters a chance. Left-back Jordan Brown will be absent with a thigh injury.
• Barnsley can play on-loan defender Matt Hill after being granted permission by Wolverhampton Wanderers. Scotland striker Garry O'Connor should begin in attack ahead of Andy Gray, with former Liverpool trainee Adam Hammill likely to overcome a knock and feature on the wing.
Referee
• Saturday's referee is Lancashire-born official Neil Swarbrick.
• Swarbrick usually takes charge of matches in the Football League as a member of the National List, as he has yet to make the step up to the Select Group who control Barclays Premier League matches.
• Among the matches that Swarbrick has taken charge of this season were two Championship fixtures involving Barnsley.
• On 14 August, he was the man in the middle for the Tykes' 1-0 home league victory over Crystal Palace, while he was also the referee for the 2-0 defeat by Leicester City at Oakwell on 6 November.
• Last season, Swarbrick took charge of the League One play-off semi-final second leg between Charlton Athletic and Swindon Town at The Valley, when West Ham United youngsters Matt Fry and Frank Nouble were both among the substitutes.
• In the FA Cup, Swarbrick was the referee for one of the largest upsets in recent years, when British Gas Business Southern League Midland Division side Chasetown defeated Port Vale to reach the third round in December 2007.
Last time out
Barclays Premier League
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Newcastle United 5-0 West Ham United
West Ham: Green, Gabbidon, Ben Haim, Upson, Tomkins, Parker, Kovac (Behrami 45), Noble (Hines 71) , Piquionne (Obinna 45) , Cole, Sears
Subs not used: Boffin, Spector, Reid, Barrera
nPower Championship
Monday 3 January 2011
Barnsley 2-1 Coventry City
Barnsley: Steele, Foster, Shackell, Hassell, Hill, Trippier, Doyle, Lovre (Gray 76), Hammill, Arismendi, O'Connor (Butterfield 83)
Subs not used: Preece, O'Brien, Colace, Morales, Bennett
Goasl: Doyle 4, Lovre 57
Background
• West Ham United and Barnsley face one another for the first time since 3 January 2009, when the Hammers ran out 3-0 winners. The goals came from Herita Ilunga (10), Mark Noble (39pen) and Carlton Cole (68)
• The lineups that day were:
West Ham: Green, Faubert, Collins, Tomkins, Ilunga, Collison (Dyer 70) , Noble, Mullins, Boa Morte (Etherington 66) , Bellamy, Cole (Tristan 75)
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Spector, Bowyer, Di Michele
Barnsley: Muller, Hassell, Foster, Guedes, Van Homoet, Campbell-Ryce, Colace, Leon (Butterfield 89), El Haimour, Odejayi (Coulson 86), Rigters (Adam 86)
Subs not used: Steele, Mostto, Potter, Heslop
Head to head (last six meetings, league unless stated)
3 January 2009 - West Ham United 3-0 Barnsley
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)
16 August 1992 - Barnsley 0-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Barnsley (all competitions): W 29, D 14, L 9
General information
For ticket information, click here. For details on getting to the Boleyn Ground, click here.
Weather
The forecast is for showers with temperatures in east London peaking a 9C.
Travel information
West Ham United supporters attending Saturday's FA Cup third-round visit of Barnsley on Saturday 8 January and the Barclays Premier League visit of Arsenal on Saturday 15 January should take note of the following important travel information.
The following public transport services will be affected on Saturday 8 January -
- Due to planned engineering work, the c2c line will be closed between Fenchurch Street and Barking. All trains will divert to Liverpool Street, calling additionally at Stratford. Train services will be unable to call at West Ham, Limehouse or Fenchurch Street. Supporters should change at Barking for the District or Hammersmith and City line Underground services.
- The London Underground District line will be closed between Aldgate East and Upney eastbound and between Barking and Aldgate East westbound.
- The London Underground Hammersmith and City line will be closed between Liverpool Street and Barking.
- The London Underground Central line will be closed between Holborn and White City.
- The London Underground Metropolitan line will be closed between Moorgate and Aldgate. Trains will call additionally at Willesden Green.
The following public transport services will be affected on Saturday 15 January -
- The London Underground District line will be closed between Tower Hill and Upminster. However, between 3pm and 9.30pm, this closure will be reduced to no service between Tower Hill and Upney eastbound and between Barking and Tower Hill westbound. Replacement buses will operate.
- The London Underground Hammersmith and City line will be closed between Liverpool Street and Barking.
- The London Underground Central line will be closed between Holborn and White City.
- The London Underground Metropolitan line will be closed between Moorgate and Aldgate.
- Due to planned engineering work, the c2c line will be closed between Fenchurch Street and Barking. All trains will divert to Liverpool Street. Train services will be unable to call at West Ham, Limehouse or Fenchurch Street. Trains diverting to Liverpool Street will additionally call at Stratford.
- National Express East Anglia services will run to a normal Saturday timetable.