Cardiff City match preview

Introduction

• West Ham United welcome Cardiff City to east London for their Bank Holiday Monday Play-Off semi-final second leg having secured a 2-0 victory in the first leg in Cardiff on Thursday evening courtesy of two first-half goals from Jack Collison.

• The winner of the tie will go on to face either Blackpool or Birmingham in the final at Wembley on 19 May. Blackpool hold a 1-0 advantage from the first leg at Bloomfield Road.

• The Hammers have only lost four games at home all season, one of those to Cardiff on the first day of the season. However, only one of those losses has been by more than one goal, when Reading won 4-2 at the Boleyn Ground in March.

• West Ham are looking to bounce straight back to the Premier League and Cardiff are looking to reach the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Team News

West Ham

• The Hammers picked up no injuries during Thursday night's game in Cardiff and manager Sam Allardyce will have a fully-fit squad to choose from.

• The likes of George McCartney, Julien Faubert, Henri Lansbury and Nicky Maynard will be pushing for a place in first XI after missing out on a starting berth in Cardiff.

Cardiff City

• Right Back Kevin McNaughton looks set to miss out again having limped off in the Bluebirds' last game of the season at Crystal Palace. Darcy Blake could take over at right back.

• Cardiff Manager Malky Mackay has an otherwise fully-fit squad to choose from for Monday's encounter.

Last Time Out

Thursday 3 May 2012
npower Championship Play Off Semi Final First Leg
Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Reid, Tomkins, Demel (Faubert 75), Taylor, Collison (Maynard 86), Nolan, Noble, O'Neil, Vaz Te (McCartney 60), Cole
Subs not used: Henderson, Faye
Goals: Collison (9), (41)

Thursday 3 May 2012
npower Championship Play Off Semi Final First Leg
Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham United
Cardiff City: Marshall, Blake, Hudson, Turner, Taylor, Cowie (McPhail 74), Whittingham, Gunnarsson, Lawrence, Miller (Earnshaw 74), Mason
Subs not used: Kiss, Gerrard, Heaton

Last Six Meetings

(Championship unless stated)

3 May 2012 - Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham United
4 March 2012 - Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham United
7 August 2011 - West Ham United 0-1 Cardiff City
6 February 2005 - West Ham United 1-0 Cardiff City
2 November 2004 - Cardiff City 4-1 West Ham United
28 February 2004 - West Ham United 1-0 Cardiff City

Overall record v Cardiff (all competitions) W 26 D 15 L 9

Ten Year Records

West Ham United

2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)

Cardiff

2010/11 Championship 4th (80 points)
2009/10 Championship 4th (76 points)
2008/09 Championship 7th (74 points)
2007/08 Championship 12th (64 points)
2006/07 Championship 13th (64 points)
2005/06 Championship 11th (60 points)
2004/05 Championship 16th (54 points)
2003/04 Championship 13th (65 points)
2002/03 Division Two 6th (81 points - promoted to the Championship via play-offs)
2001/02 Division Two 4th (83 points)
2000/01 Division Three 2nd (83 points)

Referee

• The referee for Monday afternoon's game will be Mike Dean.

• Dean last took charge of the Hammers back in November 2011 for their trip to Middlesbrough which the Hammers won 2-0.

• Dean has taken charge of Cardiff once this season in their League Cup Semi Final First Leg loss to Crystal Palace.

• Dean has taken charge of five npower Championship games this season issuing 12 yellow cards, no red cards and no penalties.

• Dean began refereeing in 1985, starting out his career in senior football in the Northern Premier League.

• In 2004, Dean took charge of his first international match, a friendly between the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland at Amsterdam Arena. That same year, he took control of the FA Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester United.

• In May 2006, he refereed the Championship play-off final between Leeds United and Watford at the Millennium Stadium. In 2008, he was the man-in-the-middle for the FA Cup final between Portsmouth and Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium.

• Dean will be assisted by Gary Beswick and John Flynn and the Fourth Official will be Michael Oliver.

Us and Them

• Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay played for West Ham in the 2004/05 season. He made 18 appearances and scored two goals. Martyn Margetson the current West Ham United goalkeeping coach spent five years with the Bluebirds between 2002 and 2007 making 32 appearances including one against West Ham in the League Cup.

• Others to have played for both clubs include Craig Bellamy, John Burton, Clive Charles, William Charlton, James Collins, Danny Gabbidon, Jobi McAnuff, Keith Robson, Bill Stephens.

General Information

Tickets for Monday afternoon's game have completely sold out. The forecast for Monday is for a light rain with a maximum temperature of 14C.