A win desperately needed at West Ham

Last week's home defeat against Leicester was a disaster for us. This was certainly a game we couldn't afford to lose and one we really had to win to boost our hopes of staying up.

Had we won it, and we all know the story of the missed penalty followed by their goal, the league table would have looked much different. We'd still have been in the bottom three, but above Leicester, rather than five points behind them, and QPR. We would have been just a point behind Sunderland, who would have been in a safe position, and two points behind Aston Villa.

But the reality is much different. A win could see us move above QPR to next to bottom but as it stands we are now five points six points from safety, i.e. getting above Leicester.

Ben Mee: We have to stick together

The suggestion amongst most supporters I've spoken to this week has been one of resignation that the drop is now inevitable and to be honest I think it would take something of a miracle now for us to stay in the Premier League.

We've won just five times all season and now probably need at least three wins from the last four games to have any chance whatsoever.

The positive sounds have been coming out of the club and Ben Mee has asked the fans to continue the fantastic backing they've given the team this season.

"We have to stick together," he said. "The away fans have been fantastic travelling all over the place this season, filling out most places we've been to. The lads recognise that and the home fans have been brilliant as well. Last Saturday they were great with us again and unfortunately we couldn't quite do it for them.

"They'll stick behind us I'm sure and we'll be giving absolutely everything for them as we always do."

Mee lost his place earlier in the season to Stephen Ward and regained it when Ward suffered an injury in the home draw against Newcastle. He's been an ever present since and continues to keep fit again Ward out of the side.

The only absentee tomorrow, other than the long term injury victims, looks to be Sam Vokes. He missed last week's game and was considered doubtful for tomorrow. Lukas Jutkiewicz, getting his first start since October, replaced him last week but Ashley Barnes is available again tomorrow and I expect him to start, and back in his more familiar role up front.

The Burnley team I expect to be: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, George Boyd, Scott Arfield, David Jones, Matt Taylor, Danny Ings, Ashley Barnes. Subs from : Matt Gilks, Steven Reid, Michael Keane, Stephen Ward, Fredrick Ulvestad, Ross Wallace, Michael Kightly, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Marvin Sordell.

We are currently on a run of just two wins in eighteen games and West Ham#s current form is no better with only two wins themselves in their last seventeen games. and those wins were at home against Hull and Sunderland, the Sunderland victory coming with a late goal.

It's been a fall from grace for Sam Allardyce's team who were third in early December and only dropped to sixth at the turn of the year after losing both of their last two games in 2014.

It's no surprise then that Allardyce's future with the club has been questioned again. Even their own club web site have asked him this week about his future. He confirmed he hadn't signed a new contract, and that any talks would be at the end of the season.

We take on a side tomorrow for whom eight of their eleven wins have come at the Boleyn Ground this season, and before we get into any arguments on the name of the ground, I've checked with both the club and with some of their supporter run web sites.

They are now in 11th place in the table and now, despite that recent run, mathematically safe from any relegation threat on 44 points.

They'll be without a number of players tomorrow. some short term and some long term injuries. Those players we won't see are James Tomkins (shoulder), Andy Carroll (knee), Guy Demel (calf), Winston Reid (hamstring) and Diafra Sakho (thigh) while Alex Song is unlikely to return because of a back problem.

Allardyce has already confirmed that Reece Burke, who made his debut last week, will continue at the back alongside James Collins and they are expected to name the same side which drew at QPR.

That team was: Adrian, Carl Jenkinson, James Collins, Reece Burke, Aaron Cresswell, Stewart Downing, Mark Noble, Cheikhou Kouyaté, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Nolan, Enner Valencia. Subs: Jussi Jääskeläinen, Nenê, Joey O'Brien, Diego Poyet, Morgan Amalfitano, Reece Oxford, Carlton Cole.

Last Time We Were There

Our last visit to West Ham was in the Championship in December 2011. For the second successive Saturday we were away from home, for the second successive Saturday we won, and for the second successive Saturday I found myself unable to go because of illness.

Sam Vokes headed home the winning goal

Seven days earlier we'd beaten Hull 3-2 at the KC when three late goals turned the game on its head after we were on the brink of dropping into the bottom three. We followed that up with a 4-0 win against Ipswich at home and then travelled to the Boleyn Ground.

This was always going to be a difficult game against the team in second place in the league but we held our own in the first half and went in with the score at 0-0.

We weren't level for much longer. A long punt from Rob Green was headed on for Kevin Nolan just seven minutes into the second half. The ball was just perfect for him to lob Lee Grant, giving our goalkeeper no chance as he gave the home side the lead.

That lead lasted just five minutes when Chris McCann, playing in a more advanced role in front of Dean Marney and Marvin Bartley, headed home a cross from Junior Stanislas, back at his old club.

Stanislas was withdrawn; Sam Vokes coming on as his replacement and it is fair to say the loan man had an effect. McCann it was who fired in a shot that won us a corner and when Ross Wallace, another on as a substitute, took it, Vokes was there to head home the winner.

What a turnaround. One week earlier we were within minutes of being in the bottom three and now, three wins later, we were tenth and looking good.

It was a great result and remains, until tomorrow hopefully, the only time we've beaten a Sam Allardyce team in a league fixture.

The teams were;

West Ham: Rob Green, George McCartney, James Tomkins, Abdoulaye Faye, Joey O'Brien (Joey Carew 80), Julien Faubert, Kevin Nolan, Jack Collison, Matt Taylor (Frederic Piquionne 56), Mark Noble, Carlton Cole. Subs not used: Marek Stech, Guy Demel, Papa Bouba Diop.

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, David Edgar, Ben Mee, Junior Stanislas (Sam Vokes 69), Dean Marney, Marvin Bartley, Chris McCann, Keith Treacy (Ross Wallace 58), Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Jon Stewart, Brian Easton, Zavon Hines.

Previous Games against West Ham

Click HERE to see all previous results against West Ham (no cup games shown prior to season 1986/87)