Date: 20 January 2007
Venue: St James park
KO Time: 1500 GMT
DAVENPORT SET FOR DEBUT
Calum Davenport is set to make his West Ham United debut in Saturday's Barclays Premiership match away to Newcastle United.
The new arrival from Spurs is likely to partner Anton Ferdinand in the centre of defence after the Hammers lost both Danny Gabbidon and James Collins to injury.
Boss Alan Curbishley is also without striker Carlos Tevez (calf) and Bobby Zamora (suspended) for the trip
Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder has two key players available for selection again for the clash with his former club.
Skipper Scott Parker returns from suspension and a stomach muscle strain, while full-back Stephen Carr could be available for the first time since November 11 following his recovery from a foot injury.
However, midfielder Emre remains a doubt with a calf problem while Damien Duff, Michael Owen and Charles NÂ’Zogbia (all knee), Shola Ameobi and Olivier Bernard (both hip), Celestine Babayaro and Craig Moore (both hamstring) and Titus Bramble (calf) are still out.
NEWCASTLE UNITED v WEST HAM UNITED, 2-2 Sat 20 Jan 2007
Newcastle United staged a second Barclays Premiership fightback in a week to snatch a draw against lowly West Ham United.
Three days after their FA Cup exit against Birmingham but a week after coming from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2, the Magpies found themselves 2-0 down to goals from Carlton Cole and Marlon Harewood inside 22 minutes.
But James MilnerÂ’s 45th-minute strike - his third in as many games at St JamesÂ’ Park - dragged the Magpies back into it and Nolberto SolanoÂ’s 53rd-minute penalty set the scene for a much improved second-half display which might have brought victory but for the woodwork and the heroics of keeper Roy Carroll.
Three points were the only requirement for the home side before kick-off, but with Peter Ramage and Shay Given added to an already depressing injury list, a spirited fightback left their supporters among a crowd of 52,095 smiling all the same.
However, by the time the half-time whistle sounded, it looked so different as Newcastle struggled to impose themselves on the game.
Where Roeder had called on his players to be men, he got schoolboy defending to allow the Hammers, fighting desperately against relegation from the top flight, to race into a 2-0 lead.
First Cole was allowed to appear unmarked to fire home the opener on 18 minutes after the similarly unoccupied Calum Davenport, making his debut for the club, had headed back Luis Boa MorteÂ’s corner.
But the Magpies did not learn their lesson and fell further behind four minutes later when Harewood turned Ramage with the minimum of fuss to collect George McCartneyÂ’s pass and stab a shot past the helpless Given.
RoederÂ’s woes increased on the half-hour when Ramage limped off with a hamstring injury and David Edgar joined fellow 19-year-old Paul Huntington at the heart of the defence.
With striker Obafemi Martins misfiring - he blasted wide from seven yards after doing well to create space for himself on 33 minutes - and Kieron Dyer struggling to get himself into the game, NewcastleÂ’s chances of dragging themselves back into a contest they dared not lose looked remote.
But, after Nicky Butt had seen a goal-bound header turned away by Carroll, they did just that in injury-time when MilnerÂ’s shot sped past the keeper and into the bottom corner.
Newcastle took up where they had left off after the restart, belatedly pinning the Hammers back inside their own half for long periods.
And they were back on level terms within eight minutes when Boa Morte needlessly blocked MilnerÂ’s free-kick with his arm and Solano, taking over from Martins on spot-kick duty, sent Carroll the wrong way.
The Nigerian very nearly made it 3-2 on 57 minutes when he span superbly on to DyerÂ’s cross and blasted a shot towards goal, where Carroll saved with his chest.
Martins should have laid on a third goal for Dyer four minutes later after skipping past Davenport, but drilled his cross in behind the England international.
Davenport saw a 65th-minute header ruled out for pushing, but the MagpiesÂ’ relief was tempered by GivenÂ’s departure through injury with Steve Harper taking his place.
Martins saw a 72nd-minute header come back off the post with Carroll completely wrong-footed, but having survived that scare, the visitors staged a fightback of their own.
Substitute Matthew Etherington passed up a glorious opportunity to win it on 76 minutes after HarewoodÂ’s powerful run and Nigel QuashieÂ’s pass opened up Newcastle, but Harper bought his side time and ultimately snuffed out the danger.
Both keepers were in action again in the dying seconds, Carroll turning away another Martins piledriver and Harper denying Harewood at point-blank range.