A fuel cell assembly for a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack comprising: a membrane electrode assembly comprising a solid polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyte, a cathode on one side of the membrane electrolyte, and an anode on the other side of the membrane electrolyte; a frame attached to the periphery of the membrane electrode assembly; a cathode gas diffusion layer adjacent to the cathode; an anode gas diffusion layer adjacent to the anode; an oxidant flow field plate adjacent to the cathode gas diffusion layer and comprising: an oxidant flow field comprising a plurality of channels separated by landings on the side adjacent to the cathode gas diffusion layer wherein essentially all of the cathode gas diffusion layer is adjacent the oxidant flow field; an oxidant port; a transition region between the oxidant flow field and the oxidant port wherein the transition region has a depth and comprises support features; a fuel flow field plate adjacent to the anode gas diffusion layer and comprising a fuel flow field comprising a plurality of channels separated by landings on the side adjacent to the anode gas diffusion layer wherein essentially all of the anode gas diffusion layer is adjacent the fuel flow field; a fuel port; a transition region between the fuel flow field and the fuel port wherein the transition region has a depth and comprises support features; and a seal for sealing the frame to the oxidant and fuel flow field plates at an edge seal location; characterized in that the support features in the transition region of at least one of the oxidant and fuel flow field plates are taller than the landings in the flow field of the at least one flow field plate. a membrane electrode assembly comprising a solid polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyte, a cathode on one side of the membrane electrolyte, and an anode on the other side of the membrane electrolyte; a frame attached to the periphery of the membrane electrode assembly; a cathode gas diffusion layer adjacent to the cathode; an anode gas diffusion layer adjacent to the anode; an oxidant flow field plate adjacent to the cathode gas diffusion layer and comprising: an oxidant flow field comprising a plurality of channels separated by landings on the side adjacent to the cathode gas diffusion layer wherein essentially all of the cathode gas diffusion layer is adjacent the oxidant flow field; an oxidant port; a transition region between the oxidant flow field and the oxidant port wherein the transition region has a depth and comprises support features; an oxidant flow field comprising a plurality of channels separated by landings on the side adjacent to the cathode gas diffusion layer wherein essentially all of the cathode gas diffusion layer is adjacent the oxidant flow field; an oxidant port; a transition region between the oxidant flow field and the oxidant port wherein the transition region has a depth and comprises support features; a fuel flow field plate adjacent to the anode gas diffusion layer and comprising a fuel flow field comprising a plurality of channels separated by landings on the side adjacent to the anode gas diffusion layer wherein essentially all of the anode gas diffusion layer is adjacent the fuel flow field; a fuel port; a transition region between the fuel flow field and the fuel port wherein the transition region has a depth and comprises support features; and a fuel flow field comprising a plurality of channels separated by landings on the side adjacent to the anode gas diffusion layer wherein essentially all of the anode gas diffusion layer is adjacent the fuel flow field; a fuel port; a transition region between the fuel flow field and the fuel port wherein the transition region has a depth and comprises support features; and a seal for sealing the frame to the oxidant and fuel flow field plates at an edge seal location;