Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of tonight's Championship playoff semi-final first leg between Cardiff City and West Ham United.
The Hammers finished the Championship season in third position, while Cardiff secured their spot in the top six with a final day win over Crystal Palace.
Cardiff have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, with the Welsh club hopeful that this season will be third time lucky.
Both teams are unbeaten in their last six encounters, and have virtually fully-fit squads to choose from.
The Championship clashes this season both ended in away wins, 1-0 for Cardiff at Upton Park, while West Ham overcame Cardiff 2-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium in March.
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So there we have it, West Ham will take a two-goal lead into the second leg of their playoff semi-final encounter against Cardiff City on Monday. The Welsh side certainly started the better, but two first-half strikes from Collison gave the Hammers a comfortable lead. Cardiff did provide much more of an attacking threat after the interval, but they were guilty of missing a series of chances, and consequently face a mountain to climb to avoid more heartbreak. Our full report of the match can be found here.
FULL-TIME: Cardiff 0-2 West Ham
90 min+4: It looks as if Cardiff will have to overturn a two-goal lead in the second leg, with little over a minute remaining.
90 min+2: It's West Ham on the attack in the latter stages with Maynard's pace proving a real problem.
90 min: We will play an additional five minutes at the end of the half. Can Cardiff grab a late strike?
89 min: Huge penalty shout for Cardiff as McCartney fells Mason in the area, but no decision is forthcoming.
88 min: The away side are more than happy to keep the ball in the final stages, with their 2-0 lead intact, and with little over two minutes remaining.
86 min: Change for West Ham as Collison is replaced by Nicky Maynard.
86 min: Chance for Cardiff! Perhaps the home side's best chance of the half as Turner finds Mason inside the box, but he fires over when it looked easier to score.
84 min: Still Cardiff search for that elusive strike, but their long balls into the West Ham half are providing little inspiration.
83 min: Nice work from Earnshaw presents the chance to Gunnarsson, but he can only fire wide.
82 min: It just hasn't quite happened for the home side this evening, but there are still 10 minutes left in this match.
80 min: It's West Ham on the attack in the latter stages as O'Neil forces a corner, but once more the danger is cleared.
78 min: It's so nearly an immediate impact from Earnshaw who strikes a wonderful effort from distance, but it just whistles past the post.
76 min: It's another wonderful cross from Taylor as he searches out Cole in the box, but the striker just fails to make contact.
74 min: Double change for Cardiff as Robert Earnshaw and Stephen McPhail replace Cowie and Miller. Meanwhile, Julien Faubert replaces Demel for West Ham.
74 min: Chance for Cardiff! The home side so nearly cut the score to 2-1 as Gunnarsson finds Hudson in the area, but he heads just wide.
72 min: Chance for West Ham! The Hammers so nearly wrap up the win as Taylor finds Nolan in the box, but somehow the former Newcastle United man heads over from close range.
72 min: It's so nearly a fine chance for Cardiff to equalise as Mason advances on goal, but he is slightly offside.
70 min: It's nice work from O'Neil who forces a free kick in an advanced position - and Nolan comes close with a header - but Marshall collects the ball.
68 min: There's a really nice look to the West Ham midfield in this particular match, with Collision, Noble and Nolan all offering different - but equally effective - threats.
66 min: The pressure from Cardiff has somewhat eased in the last few moments, with West Ham beginning to enjoy a comfortable spell of possession.
63 min: The Hammers have set up much more defensively for the latter stages, with Taylor moving into an advanced role, while McCartney has slotted into left-back.
62 min: Another chance for the home side as Miller collects the ball in the area, but he can only fire wide after a well worked free kick from Whittingham.
60 min: Change for West Ham as George McCartney is introduced in place of Vaz Te.
59 min: It's really nice work from Vaz Te, who advances down the left before winning his team a corner. However, Hudson produces a big header to clear the danger.
58 min: Hudson so nearly releases Mason with a searching ball, but Green is on hand to clear the danger. We haven't seen much of the away side as an attacking threat in the second half.
56 min: It's West Ham who have been restricted to long balls so far in the second period, much the same as Cardiff in the first.
54 min: Cardiff so nearly equalise with a clever header from Turner, but Cole clears the danger from under the bar.
54 min: You can't help but feel that Cardiff need to score during this spell of attacking football, because West Ham are certain to pose a threat as the half develops.
52 min: Glorious chance for the home side as Miller advances into the box, but his touch lets him down, allowing Tomkins to recover.
50 min: Chance for Cardiff after Blake whips a searching cross into the box, and Green spills the ball as the Welsh side continue to attack.
48 min: Cardiff have certainly started the second period with much more purpose, as Gunnarsson attempts to feed Mason in the area, but the striker is ruled offside.
46 min: The first chance of the half falls to Cardiff as Whittingham strikes from distance, but Green is in control of the situation as it drifts wide.
46 min: We are underway in the second period. Can Cardiff respond?
So there we have it, West Ham lead Cardiff 2-0 at the interval of their playoff encounter. It was the home side who arguably started the better, but two goals from Hammers midfielder Collison has left the Welsh club with so much to do in the second period. Malky Mackay will certainly raise his troops at the break, but they need something special. Our report of the first 45 minutes can be found here.
HALF-TIME: Cardiff 0-2 West Ham
45 min: We will play an additional minute at the end of the half, with West Ham well and truly in control of the semi-final encounter.
44 min: It's so nearly 3-0 to West Ham as Cole attacks a Matthew Taylor cross, but Marshall pushes the ball to safety.
43 min: Cardiff are in real danger of being out of this tie. They need a serious response in the second period to avoid leaving themselves with a mountain to climb.
West Ham go 2-0 ahead in the tie as Collison fires a strike from the edge of the area, however, it took a horrible deflection off Aron Gunnarsson before evading David Marshall.
41 min: GOAL! Cardiff 0-2 West Ham (Collison)
41 min: Cardiff are retaining possession as the half approaches its latter stages, but they haven't really tested Rob Green.
39 min: It certainly looks as if Cole has a problem for the away side. It would be a surprise to see him emerge for the second period.
37 min: It's really nice work from Joe Mason who picks out Miller in the box, but the foul goes against the Scottish international and West Ham restart the play.
35 min: Chance for Cardiff as Miller picks up the ball outside the area, but his shot just moves wide of the post. However, it's much better from the home side.
34 min: Penalty shout for the home side as Lawrence hits the ground in the area under pressure from Vaz Te, but no decision is forthcoming.
33 min: It's slightly better for Cardiff as Miller picks up possession and drives into the box, but he is crowded out in a tight area.
31 min: It's another chance for the away side as Collison finds himself unmarked in the area, but he just cannot make a connection with his head.
30 min: Chances have been few and far between in the last 10 or so minutes in the match, with Cardiff simply unable to keep the ball.
27 min: The home side's fans have gone awfully quiet since they fell behind, but their team is providing little inspiration with the Hammers looking ever so comfortable.
25 min: It's sloppy play from Peter Whittingham who loses possession in midfield. The former Aston Villa man is the home side's best player by a country mile, and they need him on form now more than ever.
24 min: It isn't quite happening for the home side since they fell behind, with West Ham looking the more dangerous in advanced positions.
22 min: It is certainly interesting to see Robert Earnshaw on the bench for Cardiff. He has hardly kicked a ball this season, but you always fancy the Welshman to pop up with a goal.
20 min: It seems as if West Ham will look to exploit Cole's strength in this particular encounter, but the Englishman has given away a series of fouls thus far.
18 min: So nearly another for the away side as James Tomkins comes close with a header, but he fires just over the crossbar. Cardiff are hanging on here.
17 min: Chance for West Ham as Carlton Cole advances on goal, but it's a really smart challenge from Hudson.
16 min: It's not the best defending from the home side as Mark Hudson and Ben Turner both make a hash of their clearances, but the Hammers cannot take advantage.
14 min: Chance for Cardiff as Liam Lawrence whips a dangerous ball into the box, but Guy Demel is on hand to clear the danger. However, the home side remain on the attack.
13 min: It's been a decent response from Cardiff since they fell behind, but the West Ham defence is standing strong thus far.
11 min: It's a real blow for Cardiff, who have certainly started the match the better, but they could not make the most of their early chances.
West Ham take the lead courtesy of a header from Collison. It came from a fine assist from Vaz Te, and the Welshman found the net at the second time of asking.
9 min: GOAL! Cardiff 0-1 West Ham (Collison)
7 min: West Ham have certainly settled down after the lively opening from Cardiff, with Gary O'Neil and Jack Collison keeping possession in forward positions.
5 min: The away side are beginning to enjoy a spell of the ball in the early stages. You can't help but think that their chances rest on the performance of Ricardo Vaz Te, who is a very tidy player at this level.
3 min: Another chance for Cardiff as Kenny Miller fires a shot from distance, but Rob Green pushes the ball to safety. It's the Welsh outfit who have made much the better start.
2 min: Chance for Cardiff! The home side so nearly take the lead with an effort from Peter Whittingham, but it smashes the bar and drops over.
2 min: It's Cardiff with early possession of the ball this evening, with Darcy Blake and Don Cowie amongst the passing.
1 min: West Ham will get us underway this evening, the pair have played twice this season, and registered one win each - who will be the happier at the end of the night?
19.42: The players are emerging onto the pitch, with the home fans in good voice. Playoff encounters are usually tight affairs, and that is exactly what I am expecting this evening.
19.35: Both teams are warming up on the pitch ahead of this crucial encounter. Tonight's referee is Neil Swarbrick - I hope we are discussing the match, and not his performance come the end of the night.
