West Ham United 0-1 Crystal Palace FT

WEST HAM UNITED v CRYSTAL PALACE
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 19 APRIL 2014
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: MARTIN ATKINSON

FULL AUDIO COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

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Final score - West Ham United 0-1 Crystal Palace

94: Final minute, final chance. Carroll is fouled by Dikcagoi. Noble lifts it in with no pace and Palace head clear and that's it. Final whistle. Palace win at the Boleyn for just the second time and complete the double over West Ham. The Hammers should have taken the lead before the break, when they were the better side, but after the break the hosts created next to nothing. The penalty was avoidable as Jerome was literally on his own when Armero brought him down. A very disappointing result. Thanks for joining us.

93: Murray is booked for handling Adrian's clearance. Time is running out. Adrian's clearance isn't long enough and Palace clear. This second half has been very hard to watch.

91: Bolasie is replaced by Parr. Palace now have six defenders on the pitch, but you can't blame them.

90: Diame has kept running and now he creates a crossing chance for Nocerino. Carroll wins it, then Carlton Cole, who goes to ground under a challenge from Jedinak. It's not a penalty. A cross from Diame floats away and with it possible West Ham's final chance.

87: Carlton Cole and Nocerino combine. The Italian crosses, Carlton flicks on and Joe volleys over with his left foot. Head in hands from the No26. Palace replace Puncheon with Danny Gabbidon. He receives applause from the home fans.

86: The attendance is 34,977, including 3,017 from south of the River Thames. They'll be going back over the bridge and through the tunnel with broad smiles on their faces unless West Ham can conjure something. Palace have a corner, but it's cleared by Adrian's fist.

85: Joe Cole has a go from the edge of the D, but the low shot thuds into the advertising board. Nolan is replaced by Nocerino. Not long for the Italian to make his mark.

84: Diame buys a free-kick from Jedinak. McCartney lifts the free-kick in and Carroll wins the header. The ball drops to Tomkins, but he cannot sort his feet out and the chance is lost.

81: Palace have a corner. It's Murray on for Jerome. The Palace fans applaud the penalty winner off. He gets a good round, seeing as he is in no hurry.

78: Joe Cole is on for Downing. He jogs off. Come on Joe, get us a goal. He is involved immediately, swapping passes with Nolan inside the Palace box, but the latter sees his cross deflected high and into the hands of Speroni.

76: Cole loses control on his chest, then fouls his man. It's just not happening for West Ham.

74: Diame takes a pass from Noble and beats two players before being fouled by Bolasie about five yards outside the penalty area.

71: Bolasie gets past McCartney and crosses low and hard, but Jerome just cannot get a toe to the ball. Palace carrying by far the greater threat here. That goal has given them a boost.

70: Jarvis is replaced by Carlton Cole. Jarvis has done a decent job this afternoon and receives a good ovation on his way off.

67: Wow. Palace have a succession of chances to all but make this game safe. Reid makes a goal-saving tackle before Puncheon sees his shot deflected just wide. Before that, Bolasie and Ledley had both had efforts. The corner is taken short but Mariappa cannot get his shot on target. That's the second time that corner has nearly worked for the visitors.

65: The visiting fans are rather enjoying this, and you can hardly blame them. West Ham continue to have all of the ball, but they are doing little with it in terms of opening up the Palace defence.

62: The Hammers have a corner as Downing's cross hits a defender. It is cleared, as is the follow-up, then Downing finds Nolan again and he can only run the ball out for a goal kick.

61: Yet again, West Ham pay the price for not scoring when they are on top.

59: Goal! Great penalty by Jedinak, who drives the ball high into the top left-hand corner beyond the dive of Adrian.

59: Penalty to Palace. Awful defending from Armero, who brings down Jerome despite the striker being the only Palace player within 30 yards of goal. Jerome had got in behind by rolling Reid near the halfway line.

56: West Ham threaten again. Jarvis collects a clipped cross from Downing and gets to the byline before crossing. The ball is cleared into the path of Carroll, whose first-time shot is charged down by Jedinak and spins out for a corner. From it, the ball again drops to Carroll from Noble's pass, but he can only half-hit the shot into the arms of the goalkeeper.

55: Good play from the back from Reid and Noble finds McCartney in space. He swaps passes with Jarvis, but is on his weaker right foot and can only pass a low cross into the hands of Speroni. Good build-up until that moment.

53: Twice Downing runs forward from a more central area with purpose, but they come to nothing. The second time the winger kicks the air in frustration. It would be a lovely day for him to get his first goal for the Club.

51: Big chance. Downing streaks away down the left and crosses early. The bouncing ball eludes two Palace defenders and finds Carroll on his own at the far post. He controls and delays a little before dragging his shot wide of the near post. The curler to the far corner might have been the better option.

49: McCartney gets caught the wrong side of Bolasie and pulls back the No7. Yellow card for McCartney. Dangerous free-kick. Puncheon's deliver isn't great, but West Ham contive to lose the ball and Jarvis concedes a corner. It comes to nothing.

48: Jinky feet from Armero works some space away from Mariappa on the left. He finds Diame, who feeds Downing. He crosses for Carroll, but again it's just too strong for the No9, who tussles with his man and goes to ground.

46: The visitors get the second half underway... Their fans are making plenty of noise. In fact, I'd say they might be the noisiest set we've had here this season.

Half-time score - West Ham United 0-0 Crystal Palace

47: The Hammers win a free-kick on halfway. Before it can be taken, the half-time whistle is blown. The home side have definitely had more of the game and have gone close twice through Diame and Carroll, only to be denied by Speroni. At the other end, Dikcagoi has come closest, seeing his header cleared off the line by Carroll and a long-range shot parried by Adrian. Join us again in 15 minutes for the second half.

45: West Ham finishing the half strongly. Good football opens things up for Downing to cross. He does, but neither Nolan nor Carroll can get on the end of it. We will play at least one added minute.

39: The clock ticks over to 38:00 and the West Ham and Palace fans are clapping in honour of No38 Dylan Tombides. Great to see the whole stadium involved in paying tribute to the striker. He deserves this send-off. Moments into the minute, Carroll rises and glances a header a few yards wide.

38: Jarvis and Downing have swapped flanks again. Jarvis now on the left.

36: Speroni! Twice! First, Carroll and Nolan work hard to open things up for Diame, who tests the Argentine low to his right, but he saves with his arm. Moments later, Downing's cross is met with a powerful Carroll header at the far post, but again the Palace goalkeeper is there to block.

35: Diame shows some dancing feet on the edge of the box before flicking the ball to Downing on the left. His cross is cleared. West Ham are really pushing.

33: West Ham want a penalty as Carroll challenges for Jarvis's right-wing cross. He looks to be pushed over by Jedinak, but Mr Atkinson thinks otherwise. Replays suggest that would have been soft had it been awarded.

31: Tomkins initially heads the corner out, but Jarvis gets in a muddle trying to clear and Diame ends up fouling Bolasie. The winger takes the free-kick himself from wide on the left, but again it's overhit and flies out for a goal kick.

30: The first corner flicks off a head and through the penalty area, but Jedinak retrives and wins a corner when his cross is blocked by Diame. Puncheon delivers left-footed and Tomkins does well to head behind under pressure at the far stick.

28: It is quite an interesting game of cat and mouse at present. Palace are sitting deep and inviting West Ham onto them. They nearly pay the price as Diame loses Dikcagoi and shoots powerfully from 25 yards, forcing Speroni to tip over. The corner is not good at all and Palace break. The cross is blocked behind and Palace now have a corner themselves.

25: Jerome fouls Noble on the halfway line. Tomkins wastes the free-kick. Carroll tries to save his bacon, but can only volley out for a goal kick.

24: A stoppage as Jerome and Armero tangle and the striker goes down. Nothing is given by the officials and play goes on.

21: That is all a bit easy for Palace as they pass from back to front without so much as a challenge. The ball finds its way to Dikcagoi, whose shot is saved in front of his body by Adrian. The goalkeeper urges his team-mates to concentrate.

19: Palace on top now. Bolasie again gets space and crosses to the far post, where Dann meets the ball with a header, but Armero does enough to divert it over the crossbar. The corner is quick and short and catches out Jarvis. Mariappa shoots first-time and Nolan dives and blocks with his body. Was it handball? The Palace players think so, but Mr Atkinson probably couldn't see from where he was stood. Replays suggest the ball did hit Nolan on the left arm, but was it handball?

18: Bolasie looks dangerous. He gets past McCartney on the outside and tries to cut the ball back for his team-mates inside the box, but Nolan is again in the right place to make the interception.

16: Palace have their second corner as Nolan pokes the ball away from Jedinak. Bolasie delivers and Dikcagoi's header looks destined for the bottom left-hand corner until Carroll sticks out a leg to block - just! Adrian reacts and grabs the ball before it can go behind for a corner.

14: Armero collects from Diame and momentarily goes on a run direct at the centre of the Palace defence, but he again opts to pass rather than shoot. Downing crosses and Speroni catches the high ball again.

13: West Ham are well on top, but they need to take advantage and score. A couple of crosses go in from the left, but neither are threatening and Palace hold firm.

10: Good football. Noble adjusts and picks out the run of Jarvis, who has timed it well to lose Mariappa. He gets to the edge of the box and fizzes a cross in at waist height that just eludes Nolan and Delaney is able to clear with a backheel. Jarvis is down, but he'll be OK. Mariappa just caught him on the ankle after the cross. Was that a foul?

8: Jarvis battles on the far side near the corner flag and the ball floats inside to the corner of the box, where Nolan collects and lofts a neat half-volley into the box for Carroll to attack. He is stretching, but gets above Dann and powers a header that misses the angle by a yard or two. Good effort.

8: Palace win a corner over on the far side. Bolasie takes it, but it catches on the strong wind and drifts over everybody and out for a goal kick.

6: West Ham have settled fairly quickly. Palace have sat deep and will play on the counter. They have massed ranks on the edge and outside their own box. Tomkins brings the ball forward into the Palace half, but the attack fizzles out when Diame runs the ball out of play.

3: Jarvis cuts in from the left and his shot is charged down. Diame finds Armero, who passes up the opportunity to shoot himself and passes square. McCartney, playing at right-back, crosses high and Speroni collects above his head.

2: Bolasie crosses low from the left and Chamakh gets a toe to the ball, but Adrian is there to collect before it can reach Jerome.

3.01pm - The game is underway. West Ham kick-off shooting towards the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand.

2.58pm - The two captains are called together by referee Martin Atkinson. We will have a minute's applause in memory of Dylan Tombides before kick-off. The noise is huge as applause from all four sides of the stadium fills the air. Dylan's father Jim and brother Taylor carry his No38 shirt to the centre-spot, where they raise it to the sky and lay it on the ground. The No38 willl now be retired in Dylan's memory. It's a fitting send-off to a great footballer and an even better person. Bless you, Dylan. We'll all miss you dearly.

2.55pm - The players are emerging from the tunnel as 'Bubbles' rings out across the east London sky for the penultimate time this season. It's a poignant day for everybody connected with West Ham United and I'm sure Dylan Tombides is looking down on us all and cheering the Hammers on.

2.47pm - We are now welcoming the 1964 FA Cup winning quartet of Ronnie Boyce, Ken Brown, Eddie Bovington and Peter Brabrook to the Boleyn Ground. The four chaps still look fit and well and are smiling as they are introduced to the crowd. Ronnie Boyce admits his 'legs were going' as the game approached its conclusion, but of course he found the energy to net a late, late winner in a 3-2 victory over Preston North End at Wembley.

2.45pm - The players are completing their pre-match warm-ups on the pitch, which is largely bathed in sunshine. It remains a bit chilly here in east London, but the threat of rain appears slight. Flag-bearers from Eastbury Comprehensive School in Barking are lining up along the touchline. So, can West Ham halt the rampant Crystal Palace this afternoon? The Eagles have been flying, literally, and scored an outstanding win at Everton in midweek. They are well-supported too, as there must be about 3,000 of their fans in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand to my left.

2.05pm Team news is in! West Ham make two changes to the side which started at Arsenal in midweek, with George McCartney replacing the ill Guy Demel and Kevin Nolan returning in place of Antonio Nocerino. Crystal Palace make one change from their midweek win at Everton, with the injured Chamakh making way for Dikcagoi.

West Ham United: Adrian, Reid, McCartney, Nolan (c), Tomkins, Jarvis, Armero, Carroll, Noble, Diame, Downing
Subs: Taylor, O'Brien, Jaaskelainen, C.Cole, J.Cole, Johnson, Nocerino

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Mariappa, Dann, Delaney, Ward, Digkacoi, Jedinak (c), Puncheon, Ledley, Bolasie, Jerome
Subs: Hennessey, Gabbidon, Parr, Guedioura, Ince, Gayle, Murray.

Good afternoon and welcome to the Boleyn Ground for today's London derby between West Ham United and Crystal Palace.

Both clubs will be eager to gain the three Barclays Premier League points that will secure their future in the top flight - although Palace may argue that they are already safe following a fourth straight win at Everton in midweek.

The Hammers and the Eagles have both enjoyed a renaissance in recent months, climbing out of the relegation zone and into the relative comfort of mid-table. Managers Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis have drawn on their huge reserves of experience and know-how to lead their teams up the standings since the New Year.

Team news-wise, West Ham have a near fully-fit squad to pick from, with only Italy striker Marco Borriello (calf) sidelined. Crystal Palace have a number of injury concerns, with Marouane Chamakh, Joel Ward and Yannick Bolasie all doubtful ahead of the trip to West Ham. Eagles defender Adrian Mariappa sustained a broken nose in the win over Everton but he is expected to be available.

The Hammers will be seeking to gain revenge for the 1-0 defeat they suffered in south London in December, when former West Ham player Marouane Chamakh got the only goal. Palace, meanwhile, will be seeking just their second league win at the Boleyn Ground in eleven attempts.

Today, the match itself will follow a ceremony to honour the memory of Dylan Tombides, the West Ham striker who tragically passed away on Friday at the age of 20. Dylan bravely fought cancer for three years and will be hugely missed by everybody at the Club and in the wider world of football.

Before kick-off, his No38 shirt will be retired and a minute's applause will be held to honour his memory and celebrate Dylan's life.

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West Ham United would like to welcome today's Match Sponsors Expansion London Ltd and Matchball Sponsors DAB Lift and Electrical Services Ltd.