Team news

West Ham preview
Midfielder Mark Noble has been ruled out of West Ham's Barclays Premier League home match against Bolton with an arm injury.

Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola has no other fresh problems but striker Benni McCarthy and centre-half Danny Gabbidon are still not match fit after recent injuries and are out of contention for this weekend.

Captain Scott Parker did not feature in the Londoners' last league game - a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United - but he should return to central midfield.

West Ham are lying in 13th place heading into the weekend, only three points above the drop zone, and will meet a Bolton side who are just as desperate for maximum points as the relegation scrap hots up.

"I think three points tomorrow are important because not only are you getting three points for yourself, but you are also denying the opposition, who are more or less in the same position as us, three points," Zola said.

"For that reason, it's a massive, massive game.

"For me, on paper Bolton's not an easy game because they always have done very well against us. But tomorrow is another story.

"They are trying to play differently (under new boss Owen Coyle) and we will see what happens. I am determined to break that bad tradition we have against them."

Bolton preview
Midfielder Stuart Holden joined Bolton's lengthening injury list this week as boss Owen Coyle now has seven players in the treatment room.

Holden fractured his right fibula on international duty with the United States in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Holland on Wednesday and is now out for the next six weeks.

Coyle is also without Mark Davies, Gavin McCann, Chris Basham, Joey O'Brien, Sean Davis and Gary Cahill.

Ahead of the game at Upton Park, with the club now searching for their first away win since the end of September, defender Paul Robinson is convinced Coyle will lead them to safety.

"I firmly believe we've enough here to stay up, and I'm an honest player. I'm not just saying that," remarked Robinson.

"To get out of the bottom three has been a massive psychological boost for us, a big plus.

"It's been a living hell being down there because we know we've been playing well, but the results haven't been going our way.

West Ham vs Bolton

Last modified 22:21 06/03/10

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West Ham could hardly have chosen a worse time to surrender their recent impressive home record.

Unbeaten in their previous four Premier League games at Upton Park without ­conceding a goal, the Hammers caved in against the power and precision of Kevin Davies and company.

Goals by Davies and Jack Wilshere helped Bolton leapfrog them into 13th place and leave Gianfranco Zola’s men facing successive games at Chelsea and Arsenal in their battle to stay clear of the drop zone.

A late goal by Alessandro Diamanti when Bolton had been reduced to 10 men through Tamir Cohen’s dismissal was not enough to prevent new boss Owen Coyle’s first away win with the Trotters and he could not hide his delight.

“It’s a massive three points,” he said. “It was a terrific performance. We had to withstand a lot of pressure after going down to 10 men.”

Coyle also talked up Davies as a possible left-field choice for England. “He’s difficult to play against,” he said, “and takes as many bangs as he gets. But he’s mobile, he’s a quality player and gets goals.”

Zola was deflated by the loss of a game West Ham had started as favourites to win.

“I wasn’t expecting this, nobody was,” he said. “The way we started the game determined the result. They were better than us.”

Reminded the next two games were away to Chelsea and Arsenal, Zola replied: “Who knows what can happen? We are certainly not going there already beaten.”

In the end, Bolton’s record of not having lost against West Ham since 2006-7 proved more relevant than their own failure to win in 10 away matches before yesterday.

They flew out of the blocks and were two goals up inside 16 minutes.

Davies put them ahead from Lee Chung-Yong’s perfect centre, then set up the second by putting over a cross despite being hemmed in on the byline. Cohen knocked the ball back for on-loan Gunner Wilshere to finish.

All West Ham could offer was a couple of Diamanti free-kicks, the first of which flew just over and the second beaten out by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Cohen was sent off in the 71st minute for fouling the industrious Scott Parker after doing the same to Radoslav Kovac but Bolton’s 10 men held out stoutly until Diamanti hammered in a rasping shot.

The crowd groaned when substitute Junior Stanislas then drove a shot against the bar, but Davies had gone just as close at the other end.