Blast from the past
In today’s preview, we travel back the short distance to 5th November 2011 for, to date, our only ever win at Hull City’s KC Stadium. Our record at the new home of the Tigers is played four, won one, drawn one, lost two.
In a half dominated by the hosts in front of 21,756 spectators, Rob Green had to be at his best to keep out a long-range strike from Robert Koren, while Dele Adebola had an effort deflected wide. Green and Abdoulaye Faye had to be alert to deny Matty Fryatt as a rearguard action from the Hammers kept the score goalless at half-time.
The introduction of Carlton Cole for the ineffective John Carew was to swing the fortunes of the match in West Ham United’s favour, with two goals in the opening fifteen minutes of the second half proving enough to ensure the Hammers went back to East London with all three points. Cole had a crucial hand in both – the first arriving when the substitute met Mark Noble’s corner with a firm header which was turned in at the far post by the predatory Sam Baldock. It was Baldock’s fifth goal in five starts but would also transpire to be his final strike in claret and blue.
The match-clinching second was again created by Cole. The striker cut inside a challenge and slipped a perfect through-ball into the path of Jack Collison, the Academy product dispatching the ball unerringly beyond Peter Gulacsi.
Hull came back strongly in the closing stages, with Noble clearing one effort off the line and the outstanding Green proving an unbreakable barrier, with two particularly fantastic late saves from Jack Hobbs and Aaron McLean securing his clean sheet.
The win, the fifth from the opening eight away matches, ensured West Ham kept pace with early leaders Southampton in the Championship table. Of course, the Hammers would earn their Premier League place with a Play-Off final triumph over Blackpool at Wembley the following May, having finished third in the final standings and taken the race for automatic promotion to the final day of the regular season.
Hull City: Peter Gulacsi, Liam Rosenior, Jack Hobbs, James Chester, Joe Dudgeon, Corry Evans, Paul McKenna, Robert Koren, Dele Adebola (Robbie Brady), Aaron McLean, Matty Fryatt.
West Ham United: Robert Green, Julien Faubert, James Tomkins, Abdoulaye Faye, George McCartney, Papa Bouba Diop (Freddie Sears), Mark Noble, Jack Collison, Kevin Nolan, John Carew (Carlton Cole), Sam Baldock (Frederic Piquionne).
Club Connections
A small collection of players have turned out for both West Ham United and Hull City, with Mark Noble, Cliff Hubbard, Roy Carroll, Tony Weldon, Stuart Pearson and Abdoulaye Faye being the most notable. Today’s focus though is on a star of the Hammers’ famed youth system who went on to play a significant role in Hull City’s first-ever foray into the Premier League.
Richard Garcia left his native Australia at the age of fifteen and scored in every round (eight in total) as the young Hammers stormed their way to that memorable FA Youth Cup Final victory in 1999. Garcia injured knee ligaments while on loan at Leyton Orient and his 2000/01 campaign was over in only November. He was handed his first-team debut by Glenn Roeder on the ill-fated September 11th 2001 when West Ham’s League Cup penalty shoot-out exit at the hands of Alan Pardew’s Second Division Reading played second fiddle to horrific events in New York. Garcia went on to make twenty-two appearances in all competitions for West Ham, without scoring, before moving on to League One Colchester in September 2004.
After the best part of three seasons at Colchester, which included a promotion to the Championship, Garcia left for Hull City on a Bosman free transfer in July 2007. He won the club’s Goal of the Season in his first year for a 35-yard effort against Burnley. Hull defeated Bristol City in the Championship Play-Off final at the end of Garcia’s first season with the Tigers, ensuring a promotion to the Premier League and a return to the top-flight for the 26-year-old Australian. Garcia enjoyed two years at Premier League level before relegation and stayed at the KC Stadium for two further seasons back in the Championship before departing for Melbourne Heart. He scored 10 goals in 128 games for the Tigers.
Since his spell at Melbourne, Garcia, now 33, has turned out for Sydney FC and Minnesota United. He has recently signed for Perth Glory.
Referee
Monday’s referee will be Martin Atkinson; 2014/15 is Atkinson’s tenth as a Premier League referee. Since West Ham United achieved promotion back to the top flight in 2012 Atkinson has refereed five of our league matches, officiating in two wins for the Hammers and three defeats. Atkinson was the man in the middle for an away victory for Manchester City at Newcastle on the opening day of this season and Sunderland’s 1-1 home draw with Manchester United.
Possible line-ups
All eyes will be on Mohamed Diame as he joins the above list of players to have appeared for both clubs. Of Hull’s other new signings, Abel Hernandez is still facing work permit issues and both Hatem Ben Arfa and Gaston Ramirez are considered short of match fitness. James Chester is available after suspension and Andrew Robertson may be fit after a calf problem. Ex-Tottenham defender Michael Dawson is in line for his home debut for the Tigers. Hull often line up in a 3-5-2 formation.
It will be intriguing to see how West Ham United line up for this fixture, considering the ins and outs of the transfer window and the fact that most players should now be approaching full match fitness. Of those who have been injured, James Collins is fit to return to the squad but Matt Jarvis and Carl Jenkinson remain unavailable. Allardyce has made it clear this week that he will not entertain the idea of 4-4-2 but I would love to see the Hammers line up in a 4-3-1-2 formation for this game and I think we have the personnel to do it (as SJ Chandos posted recently). With Song, Noble and Kouyate holding the midfield, Demel (in the absence of the injured O’Brien) and Cresswell could provide width from the flanks knowing they have plenty of cover being offered. Morrison could be given a free role behind Zarate and Valencia. The only downside to this would be the omission of the hitherto-excellent Downing, but what an option to have from the bench he would be.
Possible Hull City XI: McGregor; Chester, Dawson, Davies; Elmohamady, Livermore, Diame, Huddlestone, Robertson; Aluko, Jelavic.
My West Ham United XI: Adrian; Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell; Song, Noble, Kouyate; Morrison; Zarate, Valencia.
Sky’s decision to ignore the travelling fan and schedule this long trip for a Monday night means I, along with many others, will not be able to fit this away game in around work commitments. I’ll hope for a comfortable evening on the sofa and Carragher and Neville raving long into the night about a wonderful away performance!
Enjoy the game – Up the Hammers!