April can be an interesting time of the season for us fans if our team is still involved in a battle for honours, or as been the case more than once for us Hammers, avoiding the drop. It can also be a bit of a dead time of year, as it is this season with no chance of winning anything or getting into Europe but no sign of relegation either.
While the current incarnation limps to the finish, and Potter casts an eye towards next season, I had a think about some memorable April games of yesteryear.
Sunday 14 April 1991: Nottingham Forest 4 West Ham 0 (FA Cup Semi-Final)
An infamous game in a season where we were on course for promotion back to the top league. Bonds v Clough. The anticipation was palpable, but the excitement only really lasted 20 minutes. Keith Hackett made the decision to send off Tony Gale for a professional foul on Gary Crosby. I believe this was one of the first sendings off for ‘denying a goal-scoring opportunity’. Hammers fans were livid, and it ruined what was looking to be a great game.
Tony Gale recently said of the sending off: ‘As for my red card, it was not a sending-off. It was the only time I was sent off in my whole career and if it had happened today, it would have been overturned by the VAR straight away.’ Apart from the sending off, my overriding memory of the game is the West Ham fans and the noise they made throughout – even at 4-0 down, we made the stadium rock – ‘Billy Bonds’ claret and blue army’. One of those days where you were incredibly proud to be a Hammer.
Wednesday 22 April 1992: West Ham 1 Manchester United 0 (First Division)
This was our last season in the old First Division, before it morphed into today’s Premier League. It was a pretty grim season, we only managed 37 goals and nine wins. Considering the league was made up of 22 teams in those days – not a good haul. One of the few highlights of the season was a home win to Man Utd. The Manchester club had a fixture pile up, playing four games in seven days, the final of which was against us.
Players like Irwin, Bruce, Pallister, Giggs, Sharp and Hughes lined up against us, desperate for the win. We were basically relegated already, but Man Utd needed the win, to secure three points in their battle with Leeds for the title. Few expected the result – least of all Alex Ferguson. The fury on his face when we won, still makes me chuckle. Perhaps it was the lack of pressure as we knew we were all but relegated, perhaps it was raising our game against a ‘big club’, but whatever it was, we played considerably better than we had the majority of that season. Kenny Brown got the solitary goal, well into the second half, ensuring his entry into West Ham folklore (continuing the good work of his dad).
21 April 1986: West Ham 8 Newcastle United 1 (First Division)
This was a night game, and Upton Park was absolutely rocking, with goals coming from all over the park. So many memorable points from this game – Newcastle had to use three keepers – with Peter Beardsley ending up between the sticks. Alvin Martin – yes, the Alvin Martin – scored a hat-trick, the third goal a penalty – Alvin had never taken one before in his life. Tony Cottee was up front, but didn’t even get on the score sheet. This was one of those games that leaves a smile on the face of any Hammer who was there – a proper romp at the Boleyn.
April 23 2006: Middlesbrough 0 West Ham 1 (FA Cup)
Before the game, there was a spine-chilling rendition of ‘Johnny Lyall’s claret and blue army’, following the death of the great man earlier in the week. That set the tone for the Hammers fans, I recall us singing with gusto throughout the game. I enjoyed the Pardew era – yes it ended badly – but I loved the likes of Ashton, Reo-Coker, Harewood, Benayoun, Anton Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Etherington and Zamora – a proper West Ham team.
On this day we had a hard match against the likes Southgate, Boateng, Downing, Hasselbaink and Yakubu. The goal eventually came in the 78th minute, when Anton Ferdinand pinged a long ball down field, which was headed down by Ashton to Marlon Harewood who smashed it home. Cue absolute scenes, and a passage to the final, although I still can’t quite bring myself to talk about that game…
April 14 1976: West Ham 3 Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (European Cup Winners’ Cup)
As I was just one when this was played, I can’t claim to have been there, but I have heard about it from so many people who were that it has become an inherited memory for me. We lost the first leg, in Germany 2-1, so a comeback was required at the second leg in east London. It had rained hard all day, but nearly 40,000 hopeful Hammers were in attendance to see what turned out to be one of the best games in our history.
A hard-fought first half saw honours even – with no goals scored at the break. But it only took four minutes in the second half for West Ham to draw level on aggregate with Trevor Brooking setting up Keith Robson to fire into the top corner. The noise was unreal, and spurred the side on to look for the goal that would take them ahead. Step up the legend that is Trevor Brooking who scored not one, but two goals to make it 3-0 on the night to the Hammers. Frankfurt grabbed one back in the 87th minute, but it was not enough, and we won 4-3 on aggregate – a truly historical night, in the mud, at the Boleyn.
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