WEST HAM UNITED v HULL CITY
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY 28 APRIL 2012
KICK-OFF: 12:30 PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• West Ham United host Hull City in their final npower Championship match of the 2011/12 season.
• Sam Allardyce's side start the day third in the npower Championship table. The Hammers sit two points behind second-placed Southampton, who have a goal difference three superior. So, West Ham will gain automatic promotion should they win and the Saints be beaten at home by already-relegated Coventry City.
• Should Southampton draw, West Ham United need to win by four clear goals to overhaul the Saints. This is because Southampton have a better head-to-head record against the Hammers this season.
• Hull City begin the afternoon in eighth position with 68 points from 45 matches. The Tigers are four points behind sixth-place Cardiff City and therefore cannot qualify for the Play-Offs.
• The Tigers are on a good run of form, despite missing out on the Play-Offs, having ended a run of five consecutive defeats to win three and draw one of their previous four matches.
• West Ham United kept their promotion hopes alive with a 2-1 win at Leicester City on Monday night. Hull City beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 in their last home game of the season last Saturday to secure a top-ten finish.
• The reverse fixture between the two sides at the KC Stadium in November saw the Hammers run out 2-0 winners. Sam Baldock and Jack Collison scored the goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Team News
West Ham United
• Nicky Maynard, Joey O'Brien and John Carew all look set to miss out through injury.
• George McCartney is back in training having recovered from the concussion he suffered during the Hammers home game with Birmingham.
• Jordan Spence (Bristol City), Pablo Barrera (Real Zaragoza), George Moncur (AFC Wimbledon), Freddie Sears (Colchester United), Frederic Piquionne (Doncaster Rovers), Frank Nouble (Barnsley), Cristian Montano (Oxford United) and Rob Hall (MK Dons) are all out on loan.
Hull City
• Manager Nick Barmby is hopeful that influential midfielder Robert Koren will be fit after the Slovenian limped out of last weekend's home win over Nottingham Forest.
• Young left-sided midfielder Tom Cairney is also hoping to be available after missing the victory over Forest with heavy bruising.
• Centre-back Jack Hobbs is out with a knee injury.
• Full-back Joe Dudgeon is out with a hamstring problem.
• Paul McShane (Crystal Palace), James Harper (Wycombe Wanderers), Jamie Devitt (Accrington), Will Atkinson (Bradford City) and Dele Adebola (Notts County) are out on loan
Last Time Out
Monday 23 April 2012
npower Championship
Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Demel (Faubert 76), Reid, Tomkins, Taylor, Collison (Lansbury 88), Noble, Nolan, O'Neil, Cole, Vaz Te
Subs not used: Diop, Baldock
Goals: Reid (39), Collison (58)
Saturday 21 April 2012
npower Championship
Hull City 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Hull City: Mannone, Rosenior, Dawson, Chester, Cooper, McKenna, Stewart (Brady 56), Evans, Koren (King 34), Fryatt, Garcia
Subs not used: Oxley, Bradley, Olofinjana
Goals: Gunter (58 own-goal), Fryatt (81 pen)
Last Six Meetings
(Championship Unless Stated)
5 November 2011 Hull City 0-2 West Ham United
20 February 2010 West Ham United 3-0 Hull City (Premier League)
21 November 2009 Hull City 3-3 West Ham United (Premier League)
28 January 2009 West Ham United 2-0 Hull City (Premier League)
19 October 2008 Hull City 1-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
23 March 1991 Hull City 0-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
Overall record v Hull City (all competitions) W 16 D 14 L 10
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 Championship 4th
2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th
Hull City
2010/11 Championship 11th
2009/10 Premier League 19th (relegated to Championship)
2008/09 Premier League 17th
2007/08 Championship 3rd (promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2006/07 Championship 21st
2005/06 Championship 18th
2004/05 League One 2nd (promoted to Championship)
2003/04 Division Three 2nd (promoted to League One)
2002/03 Division Three 13th
2001/02 Division Three 11th
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be Nigel Miller.
• The 51-year-old has taken charge of 14 npower Championship games this season showing 33 yellow cards, one red card and awarding six penalties.
• Miller took charge of the fixture between the two sides at the KC Stadium where the Hammers ran out 2-0 winners. It was his first ever game in charge of West Ham having been the man in black for Hull on six previous occasions.
• A former striker himself, Miller retired from playing football at the age of 31 and immediately took up officiating. After eleven seasons in the Wearside and UniBond leagues, he was appointed to the Football League List of assistant referees in 1999. Miller was promoted to the Football League List of referees in 2003.
• Miller ran the line for the 2003 FA Cup final and FA Community Shield and also at the 2005 Championship Play-Off final between West Ham United and Preston North End - a match which saw the Hammers promoted to the Premier League.
• In his spare time, retired police officer and firearms and physical training instructor Miller breeds birds including goldfinches, bullfinches, blackbirds and thrushes.
• Miller will be assisted by Ross Joyce and Adrian Sannerude and the fourth official will be James Adcock
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Us and Them
• The following players have worn the colours of both West Ham United and Hull City during their careers - Tommy Brandon, Jimmy Bullard, Roy Carroll, Alf Fenwick, Richard Garcia, Cliff Hubbard, Mark Noble, Stuart Pearson, and Tony Weldon.
• Mark Noble spent three months on loan at Hull City between February and May 2006, making five Championship appearances.
• Hull City full-back Liam Rosenior is the son of former West Ham United striker Leroy Rosenior.
• The first-ever meeting between West Ham United and Hull City took place at Anlaby Road on 17 April 1920. Dan Bailey scored the Hammers' goal in a 1-1 Division Two draw played out in front of 8,000 spectators.
• West Ham United's biggest home win over Hull City came on 6 October 1990 in a Division Two match. The Hammers ran out 7-1 winners with the goals coming courtesy of Steve Potts, George Parris, Trevor Morley and two each for Jimmy Quinn and Julian Dicks.
• The Biggest crowd to ever witness a game between West Ham and the Tigers at the Boleyn ground was for a Premier League match on 28 January 2009. 34,340 packed into the Boleyn Ground and saw Carlton Cole and David Di Michele score a goal each as the Hammers ran out 2-0 winners.
• Hull City have only ever won twice at the Boleyn Ground in 19 visits. Their victories came 56 years apart with the first in December 1934 and the second in January 1990. Both of the Tigers victories were by the same score line, 2-1.
• Eleven players have made their West Ham United debuts against Hull City - Jim Simmons (August 1920), Albert Foan and Eric Betts (both August 1950), George Wright, Doug Bing and Bert Hawkins (all September 1951), George Petchey (September 1952), Paul Kelly (January 1990), Matthew Rush (October 1990), Iain Dowie (March 1991) and Savio Nsereko (January 2009). Danny Shea also made his second Hammers 'debut' alongside Simmons in August 1920.
General Information
• The weather for the Hammers final Championship game of the season is set for a mixture of sunshine and showers with a maximum temperature of 15C. There are just 250 tickets left for the Hammers final game to book your seat click on the link below.
