WHUFC.com
Jack Collison was delighted to get back among the goals at Leicester on
Monday night
24.04.2012
Jack Collison was all smiles after his goal helped the Hammers keep their
automatic promotion dream alive with a win at Leicester City. The Welshman
was on hand to smash home from 25-yards after a Gary O'Neill shot was
blocked to put West Ham United 2-1 up. The goal proved vital as the Hammers
earned all three points at The King Power Stadium to move within striking
distance of second-placed Southampton with just one game left to go. "It was
massive that we got the three points," Collison told West Ham TV. "Obviously
all the pressure now is on Southampton for Saturday, and if we do the
business our end then who knows - stranger things have happened. "On a
personal level it was nice to get a goal because it was long overdue. It
dropped to me lovely and it's probably one in 50 of them that goes in, and
luckily for me it did."
The win leaves West Ham just two points behind the Saints, who host Coventry
City on Saturday. The Hammers play host to Hull City on the same day and
Collison believes the Hammers did all they could at Leicester to ensure the
pressure is on the Saints on the final day. "It was nice to score but it's
more important that we got the three points and it means that it's going to
be a cracking game on Saturday. So I'm buzzing for the goal, I'm buzzing for
the win and hopefully the fans will be up for it on Saturday with all the
pressure on Southampton."
Collison's stunning winner capped a fine evening for Sam Allardyce's side,
who came back from a goal down to extend their record-breaking series of
away wins to 13 for the season. Now, the Academy graduate is hoping that the
Hammers can pick up where they left off on home soil after the 6-0 win
against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out. "We had a job, we had a game
plan and it's worked wonders for us. We could have maybe had one or two more
but at the end of the day we've got three points on the board. It's been a
good team performance and we've come through without any injuries so
everybody is ready and raring to go for the weekend.
"Saturday is going to be a Cup final for us, we'll be right up for it and
all we can do is our job as it's out of our hands. Hopefully we can get an
early goal against Hull and I'm sure the pressure at Southampton will be on
when they find out about it."
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Big Sam happy to keep pressure up
WHUFC.com
West Ham United outfoxed Leicester City to win 2-1 and keep their automatic
promotion hopes alive
23.04.2012
West Ham United came from a goal down to record their thirteenth away win of
the season and take the race for automatic promotion to the final day of the
season.
The Hammers won the game 2-1 courtesy of goals from defender Winston Reid
and midfielder Jack Collison having gone behind to a Jermaine Beckford
header. Manager Sam Allardyce was delighted with what he felt was a merited
victory for the Hammers at the King Power Stadium on Monday night, "That
was a well-deserved victory for us I feel," the West Ham United manager
said. "We got what we wanted which was the three points; it was a really
good performance but just maybe we were a bit slack on the finishing in the
second half. "The fans were great singing away in the corner for the whole
game. I think we've managed to send them home happy again which is
fantastic."
The Hammers began the game the better side with Ricardo Vaz Te, Collison and
captain Kevin Nolan all testing Kaspar Schmeichel in the Leicester goal. But
the visitors found themselves behind just after the half hour mark when
Beckford headed in Ben Marshall's cross. West Ham regrouped immediately and
fought their way back into the game just five minutes after the opener.
Matthew Taylor's fantastic driven cross from the left only needed a touch
and Reid obliged, stabbing the ball past Schmeichel. After the break there
was only one team who looked like winning it and after skipper Nolan had
passed up two good chances, the Hammers eventually took the lead just before
the hour mark. Gary O'Neil's shot was cleared by the Leicester defence but
only to Collison on the edge of the area who powered the ball into the
bottom corner from all of 25 yards. Manager Allardyce was delighted with the
way his team coped with going 1-0 down and fought their way back into the
game. "We came back from being 1-0 down, which I didn't think we deserved to
be, so that was great and we carried on controlling the game from there on
in. We created a lot of chances after we got our second goal but
unfortunately we didn't put any away."
The chances to make the game completely safe fell firstly to defender James
Tomkins, who headed wide, then Vaz Te and Collison failed to make the best
of a good shooting opportunity before Nolan missed a good chance right at
the end. However, Big Sam saw the victory as job done for West Ham and is
looking towards a dramatic final day with Southmapton now just two points
ahead. "We have stayed in the race until the final day which is what we
wanted to do and we will have to do our job on Saturday and hope Coventry
can help us at Southampton." Allardye said. "Our chance of automatic
promotion is better than before the game because we have won. Who knows what
will happen on Saturday, maybe Southampton will get the jitters or Coventry
will play without fear having already been relegated. What we have to do is
our job and win the game at home to Hull, if we do that you never know."
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Dev Squad win at Cambridge
WHUFC.com
Ian Hendon's side enjoyed a fine 5-1 victory at Cambridge United on Tuesday
evening
24.04.2012
West Ham United's Development Squad continued a good week for the Club by
scoring a 5-1 victory at Cambridge United on Tuesday. Just 24 hours after
the first team kept their npower Championship automatic promotion hopes
alive by winning at Leicester City, the Hammers' youngsters put on a fine
show at the Abbey Stadium. Paul McCallum, Blair Turgott, Dominic Vose, Brian
Montenegro and Elliot Lee (pictured) were all on target in the second half
as the U's kicked-off their centenary celebrations by welcoming Ian Hendon's
side. Hendon was delighted with his young team's showing on their final
outing of the 2011/12 season, saying: "The boys played well and they scored
some cracking goals. It was a great way for us to sign-off a good season for
the Development Squad."
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West Ham's Kevin Nolan hoping for favour from Coventry
BBC.co.uk
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan hopes relegated Coventry can do his side a
favour in the automatic promotion race. The Hammers must beat Hull and hope
Southampton drop points at home to the Sky Blues to have a chance of
finishing in second place in the Championship. The 29-year-old told BBC
London 94.9: "The main thing for us was to take it to the final day. We are
asking Coventry to do us a massive favour."We're really hoping Coventry go
there and give them a good game."
After beating Leicester 2-1 on Monday, West Ham are now two points behind
Southampton in the table. A win for West Ham coupled with a defeat for
Saints on Saturday would seal an immediate return to the top flight. If the
Saints draw, West Ham would need to win by a margin of three or four goals -
depending on how many Southampton score - to clinch promotion. "It's going
to be tough on Southampton," Nolan added. "Hopefully when they put that
shirt on on Saturday it'll be a little bit heavier as there are expectations
on them to win the game. Hopefully Coventry will give us something to play
for. "The main thing is making sure we win our game. "No matter what
happens, we've got momentum going into the end of the season and maybe into
the play-offs."
Irons boss Sam Allardyce added: "I'm fearing I'll have to tell the players
to go out and win 3-0 or 4-0 and hope Southampton slip up. "We might need
that margin because we'd be absolutely gutted if Southampton end up drawing,
we don't score enough goals and end up staying in the play-offs on goal
difference."
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Hull clash goes live
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 24th April 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's promotion decider with Hull City at the Boleyn Ground this
Saturday is being televised live. Sky Sports confirmed this morning that
they will be featuring West Ham's clash with the Tigers - which kick off at
12:30pm - live on Saturday lunchtime. Meanwhile Southampton's match against
Coventry City is also being televised live, this time by the BBC.
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We've piled the pressure on Southampton, says Jack Collison
Evening Standard
24 April 2012
Jack Collison today threw down the gauntlet to promotion rivals Southampton
as he said: "Now it's time to see what they are made of." Collison scored a
spectacular second-half winner at Leicester to ensure the shoot-out between
West Ham and Southampton goes into Saturday, the final day of the season.
Despite West Ham's victory last night the south-coast club remain strong
favourites to take the second automatic Championship promotion spot behind
Reading. Nigel Adkins's team are two points clear of West Ham and with a
three-goal superior goal difference. They play already relegated Coventry at
St Mary's, where they have lost only three times in the League this season,
while the Hammers are at home to Hull City. West Ham's victory over
Leicester, their 13th away win this season, takes things to the wire,
though, and Collison is still firmly clinging to the automatic promotion
lifeline. "All the pressure is on Southampton on Saturday and if we do the
business at home, who knows? Stranger things have happened," said the Wales
midfielder. "It's going to be a cracking game against Hull. Everyone here is
raring to go. "I'm buzzing after that goal against Leicester and more
importantly, the three points. Everyone will be up for it on Saturday and
let's see what Southampton are made of.
"It's still not in our hands and Hull won't be an easy game but we will give
it a right go, try to do our bit and then see what happens."
West Ham were always the better team last night but had to come from behind
after Jermaine Beckford's headed goal in the 34th minute. Centre-half
Winston Reid turned in Matt Taylor's searching left-wing cross five minutes
later and it was Collison who crashed home the winner, his first goal for
almost three months, 13 minutes into the second half. "On a personal level
it was nice to score the goal, it's been long overdue and it was probably
the most difficult of the two or three chances that I had last night," he
said. "I caught it sweet and luckily for me it went in but it was more
important we got the three points. "We had a game plan against Leicester and
it worked well. We could have nicked one or two more goals but the win was
the main thing, plus a good team performance and no injuries. "It's my first
full season back after a long-term injury and I'm pleased with the number of
games I've played. I've been a bit in and out of the team but it's something
I have to learn to deal with and when the opportunities come it's up to me
to make the most of them."
Manager Sam Allardyce also believes the victory will increase the pressure
on Southampton. He said: "All we can do is our job which is trying to beat
Hull at home. If we can do that, you never know. Southampton will be a
little more nervous now than before we beat Leicester. "We've stayed in the
race until the final day of the season which is what we wanted to do. "We
will have to do our job against Hull and hope Coventry can help us against
Southampton. "It's still a slim chance but is better than the one we had
before the Leicester game. Who knows what will happen on Saturday? Maybe
Southampton will get the jitters and Coventry will play without fear having
already been relegated."
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