aaron cresswell

Last weekend's FA Cup tie against Leeds United was essentially a dress rehearsal for this afternoon's Premier League clash, some will say this game is FAR more important than last weekend's cup tie. FA Cup competition supporters will not be pleased to hear that, it is indeed rather sad that a competition that once lit up the calendar has now by and large been sidelined, gone are the days when supporters who didn't have tickets to the final would sit for hours ahead of the game, glued to their TV screens in anticipation of the main event.

The 'wheels of hope' are in full swing as 'positive' news is emerging as to the fitness and availability for players who have been sorely missed in recent games that have seen Hammers push for Europe falter. Aaron Cresswell and Authur Masuaku are looking nailed on for the next crucial game, against Burnley on the 1st of May, the Clarets having just dismantled Wolves by 4-0 at Molineaux.

Ahead of Hammers 'next cup final', the words used by Mark Noble to describe the sequence of seven games that will determine the club's European destiny, a crumb of 'injury' comfort has been revealed, it may be conjecture or 'porkies' but David Moyes stated the following in his pre-match presser this morning.

Championship top three team, Watford, are mounting a serious challenge for automatic promotion straight back to the Barclays Premier League, and to that purpose they will utilise the services of Domingos Quina and Jeremy Ngakia, both youth players 'filched' by the Hornets from West Ham United.

It seems as if virtually every Hammers game of late has been a 'seminal' one, right back from the astonishing fight back from a 3-0 deficit away to Tottenham that left Jose Mourinho emotionally scarred. Having 'done the double' over Marcelo Biesla's beautiful team by winning 'ugly', David Moyes's team confirmed their place as genuine contenders for a place in European competition next season, the only question being whether it will be a champions League place, or one in the Europa League.