Carrick: Future rests on final

West Ham and Crystal Palace will be playing for a £30million prize when they meet in an all-London First Division play-off final on Saturday week.

West Ham midfielder Michael Carrick today summed up the importance of the game when he said: "This match will decide the future of the club.

"Financially, it's bigger than the FA Cup Final because of what is at stake."

Carrick is just one of the players who will have to be sold if West Ham, who continue to service a £35m debt, do not make it back to the Premiership.

The winners of the final in Cardiff will reap £20m in revenue from promotion and, even if they are subsequently relegated after their first season, will still collect a parachute payment of in excess of £5m per season for two years.

West Ham manager Alan Pardew described the game as "the biggest match in English football", adding: "I want to put this club in the top six in the Premiership and the semi-final win over Ipswich has put us a small step in that direction." Palace manager Iain Dowie, a former West Ham player, was at Upton Park to watch West Ham beat Ipswich 2-1 on aggregate.

Scorer Christian Dailly, who has now had to withdraw from Scotland's forthcoming friendly matches, against Estonia followed by Trinidad & Tobago, said: "A return to the Premiership would mean a lot for the stability of this club.

"It's been a long season.

We've had three managers and lost 20 players but we've hung in there and we deserved the win over Ipswich."

His team-mate Andy Melville, who played in a play-off final for Swansea, said: "It will be marvellous for the fans to go to the final at the Millennium Stadium.

"Crystal Palace will be tough opposition but we won the battle against Ipswich and we can do the same in the final."