SOUTHAMPTON v WEST HAM UNITED
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
TUESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2012
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Southampton knowing that a victory would extend their lead at the top of the npower Championship to four points. The Saints closed the gap to one by beating Bristol City 2-0 at St Mary's on Saturday.
• The Hammers took over top spot from the Saints after beating Nottingham Forest on 21 January 2012. Previously, Southampton had been top of the table since winning 1-0 at Barnsley on 13 August 2011.
• Both teams are new to the Championship this campaign. The Hammers were relegated from the Premier League while the Saints finished second in League One, three points behind Brighton & Hove Albion, to earn promotion.
• Tuesday's game will raise awareness and funds for Richard House Children's Hospice in Beckton - London's oldest children's hospice and one of West Ham United's official charities. Bucket collections will be held at the Boleyn Ground on matchday. For more information about Richard House, click here.
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Us and them• West Ham United have beaten Southampton 4-0 at home on three occasions - their biggest victories over the Saints at the Boleyn Ground. All three were in the old Division Two. The first occasion was on 27 March 1937, with Len Goulden scoring twice. The second was on 12 April 1947, with Frank Neary netting a brace, while the third was on 19 April 1952, with Terry Woodgate getting two goals.
• The largest crowd to attend a West Ham United versus Southampton fixture was the 35,000 who were at the Division Two fixture at the Boleyn Ground on 13 November 1948. The match finished in a 1-1 draw.
• The smallest crowd to turn out at the Boleyn Ground for a Football League fixture between the Hammers and the Saints was the 14,221 who attended Southampton's 3-2 Division One win here on 22 December 1984.
• Southampton's best result at the Boleyn Ground is the 4-2 Premier League victory achieved over West Ham United on 25 April 1998.
West Ham United were top of the Division One table when they welcomed Southampton to the Boleyn Ground on 22 September 1981. Paul Goddard netted a hat-trick and Geoff Pike once as the Hammers scored a 4-2 victory. Gordon Armstrong and Malcolm Waldron were on target for the Saints in front of a 34,026-strong crowd.
• West Ham United travelled to Southampton for a Southern League Division One fixture on 14 February 1914 - 98 years ago today. A crowd of 7,000 saw Frank Burton (see Classic Match), Dan Bailey and Dick Leafe secure a 3-2 victory for the Hammers.
• West Ham United and Southampton met 20 times in the Premier League between 1993 and 2003. The Hammers won eight times, Southampton six and there were six draws.
• The Hammers' most-recent league victory over Southampton took place on 20 October 2001, when Frederic Kanoute scored both goals in a 2-0 Premier League victory at the Boleyn Ground.
• The first-ever meeting between the two clubs at the Boleyn Ground was a Southern League Division One fixture at The Dell on 16 December 1899. Then known as Thames Ironworks FC, Ken McKay scored the goal in a 3-1 defeat.
• Southampton won on their most-recent visit to the Boleyn Ground on 2 December 2002, when James Beattie converted Brett Ormerod's last-minute cross to secure a 1-0 victory.
• Southampton's most-recent visit to the Boleyn Ground at this level was on 23 August 1952, when Jim Barrett Jr scored the only goal of the game in Division Two.
• West Ham United have been drawn to meet Southampton three times in the FA Cup - and have gone on to reach the final twice. The Hammers overcame the Saints after two replays in 1922/23, when they were beaten by Bolton Wanderers in the first-ever final at Wembley. In 1974/75, West Ham defeated Southampton 2-1 at The Dell in the third round.
• Nicky Maynard scored in Bristol City's 2-0 home npower Championship win over Southampton on 26 November 2011.
• Gary O'Neil and Matt Taylor played for Portsmouth in a 4-1 Premier League win over Southampton on 24 April 2005. One-time Hammers forward Henri Camara scored the Saints' consolation goal.
• Papa Bouba Diop enjoyed a 4-1 win over Southampton in his time at Pompey in an FA Cup fifth-round tie on 13 April 2010. Avram Grant was the Portsmouth manager, while Rickie Lambert was on target for the Saints.
• Sam Baldock scored at St Mary's last season when MK Dons lost 3-2 in a League One encounter on 2 April 2011.
• Frazer Richardson scored the only goal when Stoke City won 1-0 at West Ham on 9 December 2003.
• David Connolly spent the 2003/04 season at the Hammers, after signing for £285,000 from Wimbledon. He went on to score 14 goals before moving on to Leicester, with the Hammers doubling their money.
• Kelvin Davis had a trial at the Hammers in summer 2010 but a move could not be agreed and he rejoined Southampton.
• West Ham United's all-time leading goalscorer Vic Watson moved to Southampton after 15 seasons as a Hammer in 1935. Watson would spend the 1935/36 season at The Dell, scoring 14 goals in 36 appearances to finish as the Saints' leading goalscorer in DivisionTwo before retiring in summer 1936 at the age of 38.
• Among the other players to have played for both clubs are William Adams, Eyal Berkovic, Wayne Bridge, Henri Camara, Alistair Campbell, Frank Costello, Christian Dailly, Calum Davenport, Iain Dowie, Bob Fairman, Jack Foster, Horace Glover, Richard Hall, Jimmy Harris, Fred Harrison, Joe Kirkup, George Kitchen, Alex McDonald, Walter Pollard, Nigel Quashie, Albert Roles, Robbie Slater, David Speedie, Vic Watson, Arthur Wilson, Richard Wright.
• Sixteen players have made their West Ham United debuts against Southampton: William Davidson (December 1902), Robertson (December 1907), George Chalkley (December 1908), Fred Harrison (April 1911), William Adams (November 1936), Jack Kirkcaldie (March 1937), Arthur Banner (April 1939), George Sadler and Joe Payne (both December 1946), Bobby Howe (September 1966), Alan Stephenson (March 1968), Warren Donald (December 1983), David Kelly (August 1988), Mark Bowen and Florin Raducioiu (both August 1996) and Ian Moore (October 1997).
Team news
West Ham United
• West Ham United will have a strong squad available for the visit of their nearest challengers. with new signings Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz Te, George John and Ravel Morrison all included.
• Maynard, Morrison and John will all be eager to pull on a claret and blue shirt for the first time, while Vaz Te will be keen to build on his late cameo appearance in the 2-1 home win over Millwall on 4 February.
• Captain Kevin Nolan is definitely out as he begins a three-match ban after being sent-off against the Lions. Gary O'Neil, Henri Lansbury and Matt Taylor will be among those looking to take the skipper's place in the starting XI.
• Papa Bouba Diop continues to be sidelined with a hamstring problem, while John Carew is a minor injury doubt after picking up a knock in training.
• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza and Bristol City respectively. Cristian Montano (Notts County), Peter Kurucz and Paul McCallum (both Rochdale) and Callum Driver (Burton Albion) are all out on temporary loans.
Southampton
• Southampton welcomed back centre-back Jos Hooiveld from injury and left-back Danny Fox from suspension for Saturday's 2-0 home win over Burnley.
• New signing Billy Sharp has replaced former West Ham United forward David Connolly in the starting XI in recent games.
• Club captain Dean Hammond will be hoping to force his way back into the starting XI.
• Southampton will be without loanees Harlee Dean (Brentford), Ryan Dickson (Yeovil Town), Ryan Doble (Bury) and Jonathan Forte (Notts County).
Last time out
Saturday 4 February 2012
npower Championship
West Ham United 2-1 Millwall
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, McCartney, Faye, Reid, Tomkins, Noble, Nolan, Faubert ,(O'Neil 80), Collison (Taylor 46), Cole (Vaz Te 87)
Subs not used: Baldock, Maynard
Goals: Cole 45, Reid 69
Red card: Nolan 9
Saturday 11 February 2012
npower Championship
Southampton 2-0 Burnley
Southampton: Davis, Richardson, Fonte, Fox, Hooiveld, Schneiderlin, Cork, Guly (Hammond 78), Lallana, Lambert (Lee 90), Sharp (Connolly 64)
Subs not used: Bialkowski, Puncheon
Goals: Lallana 8, Sharp 33
Previous meetings
• The most recent competitive meeting between the sides was the reverse npower Championship fixture at St Mary's on 18 October 2011. Jos Hooiveld headed the only goal of the game shortly before half-time. Mark Noble hit the post late on, but the Saints held on to remain top of the table. The lineups that night were:
Southampton: Davis, Richardson, Fonte, Fox, Hooiveld, Schneiderlin, Guly (De Ridder 86), Hammond, Chaplow (Harding 74), Lambert, Connolly (Cork 82)
West Ham United: Almunia, Reid, McCartney, Faye, Faubert, Nolan, Taylor (Piquionne 20), Diop (Noble 66), Lansbury, Baldock, Carew (O'Brien 78)
Last six meetings
18 October 2011 - Southampton 1-0 West Ham United (Championship)
5 April 2003 - Southampton 1-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
2 December 2002 - West Ham United 0-1 Southampton (Premier League)
30 January 2002 - Southampton 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
20 October 2001 - West Ham United 2-0 Southampton (Premier League)
5 May 2001 - West Ham United 3-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Overall record v Southampton (all competitions) W 36 D 26 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 Championship 4th
2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th
Southampton
2010/11 League One 2nd (promoted to Championship
2009/10 League One 7th
2008/09 Championship 23rd (relegated to League One)
2007/08 Championship 20th
2006/07 Championship 6th
2005/06 Championship 12th
2004/05 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)
2003/04 Premier League 12th
2002/03 Premier League 8th
2001/02 Premier League 11th
Referee
• Tuesday's referee will be Lee Probert.
• Thirty-nine-year-old Probert will take charge of West Ham United for the first time this season, having refereed the Hammers four times last term.
• He began refereeing in 1986 before being promoted to the Football League assistant referees' list in 1998, and made the step up to referee in the league five years later.
• Probert was promoted to the Select Group of Premier League referees in summer 2007.
• In 2010, he took charge of the FA Trophy final between Barrow and Stevenage Borough at Wembley, before returning to the Home of Football to act as fourth official for the 2011 FA Cup final between Manchester City and Stoke City.
• In 25 matches this season, Probert has issued 78 yellow cards and sent-off four players. He has taken charge of just two npower Championship fixtures previously this term - Brighton & Hove Albion's 3-3 draw with Leeds United in September and Burnley's goalless draw with Derby County on 21 January this year.
• This evening, Probert will be assisted by Stuart Burt and Adam Watts, while the fourth official will be Dean Whitestone.
Up next
• West Ham United will travel to Blackpool next Tuesday 21 February for an 8pm kick-off. Southampton host Derby County at St Mary's on Saturday 18 February at 3pm.
General information• Tuesday evening's weather forecast is for a cloudy night with a maxiumum daytime temperature of 8C (47F).
• For ticket information, click here