Traditionally the left back would mark the outside right or any opposing player operating on the right flank. As there are so few naturally left footed players it became something of a specialist position. The more versatile players would evolve into overlapping full backs or wing backs. Both variants require great engines as they run from box-to-box, switching from attack to defence in the blink of an eye. Left backs have often merged into a generic back four or even back three. But they survive and maintain a legendary association with the number 3 shirt. West Ham have had many exponents over the years, but our first great leftie was converted from an outside left.
From Outside Left to Full Back: The Jack Young Era
Jack Young was signed in 1919 from Southend and initially played on the left wing. But the symmetry between defence and attack was apparent when he switched to left back during the 1922/23 season. It paid dividends as West Ham were promoted to the First Division only four years after joining the Football League. The Hammers also appeared in an unforgettable first FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium to complete a unique double. Young was a key member of the team and went onto make 124 league appearances. However, a combination of illness and injuries restricted his selection. He moved onto QPR before ending his playing career with Accrington Stanley.
A Problem Position in the 1920s and 30s
Following Young’s tenure, left back became something of a problem position for the Hammers. Half a dozen players were tried between 1926-1931 without any real success. The player who filled the slot most often was Alf Earl. He was signed from Summerstown who played in the Athenian League. By the late 20s he was established in the first team, although was often switched to right back. His career at West Ham came to an end in the 1932/33 season as the club was adjusting to life back in the second tier. However another ‘Alf’ was ready to fill the void. Alf Chalkey was a local lad born and raised in Plaistow. He was capped for England Schoolboys at outside left but made his name as a full back. Following a trial, he signed professional forms for the Hammers in 1931. He made 188 league appearances and was an ever-present in the 1934/35 season when West Ham came within a whisker of promotion. But like the other Alf, he was frequently deployed as a right back, yet again highlighting how problematic the position can be. In the late 30s two ‘Walkers’ wore the number 3 most frequently. Albert Walker made 162 league appearances and later worked in the club’s backroom staff for 28 years. Albert was replaced by Nottingham-born Charlie Walker. He made 110 league appearances and was a member of the team that won the League War Cup in 1940.
The Bear from Cork: Noel Cantwell and the Birth of the ‘Academy’
The immediate post war years saw a number of players come and go. However, stability arrived when a bear of a man from Cork arrived to fill the number 3 shirt for the next eight seasons. Noel Cantwell had the rare distinction of playing for Ireland at both football and cricket. He was signed from Cork Athletic and within two years was the first choice left back. As a West Ham player, Cantwell made his debut for Ireland against Luxembourg in 1953, and would win 17 of his 36 caps with the club. The supreme all-rounder was also an accomplished cricketer, and played one first class game for Ireland against Scotland in 1956. The Irishman was a tough tackling powerhouse who regularly made searching runs up field. He formed a formidable partnership with John Bond at right back and was a major factor in the club’s promotion season of 1957/58. As captain, the Hammers won the Second Championship and finished 6th in their first season back in the top flight. He formed a close friendship with Bond and centre half Malcolm Allison who would regularly meet in Cassettari’s café in Barking Road. They discussed tactics and moved salt pots around the table much to the amusement of customers. The ‘Academy of Football’ was born as players turned into coaches that set the tone for future success. After 248 league games, Cantwell transferred to Manchester United in 1960 for £29,500, then a record for a full back. He became part of the mission to re-build the club after the Munich air crash, and was captain of their FA Cup winning side.
From Short Career to Great Manager: The John Lyall Story
Cantwell’s initial replacement had a painfully short playing career. But would instead go on to become one of the club’s greatest managers. John Lyall came from Ilford and became an England Youth International in 1957. The same year he played in the FA Youth Cup Final. Alas, the Hammers met Manchester United and were beaten by the Busby Babes at the height of their powers. Lyall eventually made his first team debut against Chelsea. But a series of niggling injuries restricted him to 31 league appearances over the next three seasons. A knee injury forced him to retire in 1964, but then began a glorious coaching career that culminated in two FA Cup final wins. The Hammers were back in crisis mode as they searched for a permanent left back. The ever versatile Martin Peters filled in at left back, but the burgeoning youth programme would soon come to the rescue.
The Pioneer: John Charles and Breaking the Mould
Jack Burkett joined the Hammers in the late 50s when the youth team was booming. West Ham reached the FA Youth Cup Final again in 1959, and Burkett featured alongside Bobby Moore and Eddie Bovington. Thereafter he was first choice left back for the next three seasons, which saw the Hammers win the FA Cup and European Cup Winners. He was succeeded by one of the game’s great pioneers who made history. John Charles was born in Canning Town a year before the end of the Second World War. The Hammers’ conveyor belt of talent was working overtime as he was spotted playing for West Ham Boys. He was one of the first black players to be signed by the club, but was given typically blunt advice from manager Ted Fenton: ‘When I was taken on, Ted told me that I would get called a few names, but to keep kicking them’. He later played down the racism he suffered ‘I never remember any real racism, certainly not from other players at West Ham or our crowd. Maybe some players respond to it too quickly and become a target when everyone knows it winds them up. If they’d just keep playing they would stop’. He began collecting ‘firsts’ and was the first black player to win representative honours for England. Charlo won his first England Youth (under 18) cap against Israel in 1962, coming on as substitute and scoring one of the goals in a 3-1 victory. That same year Charlo became the first black player to appear in the first team against Blackburn Rovers. Manager Ron Greenwood neatly summed up his qualities ‘he was ‘a prince of a player; he was a good, strong, straightforward competitor whose influence was significant’.
The Greatest: Frank Lampard Snr
Frank Lampard Snr was yet another local product who was born in East Ham. He was a right footed player who made his debut against Manchester City in December 1967 at right back. However, Ron Greenwood converted him into a highly effective left back. Lampard subsequently enjoyed an extended run during that first season, and appeared to have usurped John Charles in the starting line-up. However, in April 1968 Lampard broke his leg playing against Sheffield United. He returned for the final game of the 1968/69 season against Manchester City, and became a fixture at left back for the next fifteen seasons. With socks rolled down around his ankles, the notion of shin pads was flatly rejected. Yet, all the key attributes were present and correct – powerful, strong in the tackle with an unerring ability to join the attack whenever needed, but always quick to recover in defence. On the domestic front he was central to a golden period in the club’s history. Lampard was a member of the FA Cup winning sides of 1975 and 1980. In the latter campaign, he is fondly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the semi-final replay against Everton. With two minutes of extra time remaining Lampard scored with a header and danced round the corner flag in celebration, an act repeated by Frank Jnr many years later playing at Elland Road. Frank Lampard wound down his West Ham career in the 1984/85 season, having made 551 league appearances and scored 18 goals. How curious that a right footed player is the Hammers’ greatest ever left back.
The Cult Hero: Julian ‘The Terminator’ Dicks
The post Lampard era saw no regular player occupying the position. Mark Walford was a steady defender signed from Norwich City in 1983. George Parris, a fine defender, occupied most positions in the backline. When Julian Dicks was signed from Birmingham City in 1988, few would have guessed he was a cult hero in waiting. Tough tackling and determined, Dicks seemed alien to the cultured football so cherished by the fans. But he soon had them eating out of his hand with a ‘no guts, no glory’ spirit. Blessed with a ferocious shot the ‘terminator’ soon took over as penalty taker. Shaven headed with a customised shirt flapping around his shorts, he was a study in nonconformity. Injuries and indiscipline were twin demons he never quite conquered. Incredibly, he picked up 33 bookings and a sending off with Birmingham alone. His disciplinary record and general demeanour shielded what a very good footballer he was. He made 262 league appearances and scored an impressive 50 goals for the Hammers. His place in the fans’ affections was assured as he won Hammer of the Year on four separate occasions. A walk around the London Stadium on match day will bear witness to countless replica shirts with ‘Dicks’ emblazoned above the number ‘3’.
The Modern Era: Cresswell and the Heir Apparent
By the end of the 1990s Harry Redknapp was manager and experimenting with the hybrid wing back system. The first 20 years of the new century saw fewer defenders who were authentically left footed left backs. Nigel Winterbourn, Paul Konchesky and George McCartney were the only notable exceptions during this period. In recent times one shining example stands out in West Ham colours. Aaron Cresswell was born in Liverpool but made his name with Ipswich via Tranmere Rovers. He joined West Ham in 2014 and enjoyed an excellent career that lasted 11 years. His record of 312 Premier League appearances is second only to Mark Noble. But unlike Noble, he won three full England caps with the Hammers. Cresswell is the perfect role model for any player. He was released as a free agent this summer, but who can replace him? Ollie Scarles may be the heir apparent to the left back position. The 20-year-old was a member of the Hammers’ FA Youth Cup winning side of 2023, and made his first team debut against FCSB in the Europa Conference League. The Bromley boy is now an integral member of the squad and made 15 league appearances last season. It only seems a matter of time before he swaps the ’57 varieties’ shirt for the coveted number 3.
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