West Ham v Swindon Town - 9th September 1989 Division Two 1-1 Allen Parkes, Potts, Dicks, Martin, Gale, Keen, Allen, Parris, Brady (Devonshire), Ward, Kelly (Dolan)
It took five attempts (the third at Upton Park), until I saw the Hammers avoid defeat. Having been relegated to Division Two the season before, West Ham had replaced long-serving manager John Lyall with former Swindon boss Lou Macari. Many expected the Hammers to achieve promotion, but the season stuttered amid controversy, more change and ultimately hope. We'll get onto that later.
I watched this early season fixture against Swindon Town on the South Bank - next to the empty terracing pictured above. West Ham took a first half lead through new signing Martin Allen, but it was cancelled out in the second half by Jon Gittens. Most of the 20,000+ crowd went home unhappy, but personally, I was just relieved to finally swerve a defeat.
West Ham v Aston Villa - 8th November 1989 Littlewoods Cup 1-0 Dicks Parkes, Potts, Dicks, Martin, Strodder, Keen, Slater, Parris, Ward, Brady, Dolan
So after six attempts, this League Cup third round replay finally brought me my first West Ham victory in person. The Hammers had already held the Division One side at Villa Park when they met on a cold Wednesday evening in east London.
For this game, I brought along my friend John and two girls from college. It was a classic teenage scenario. One of the girls fancied me, I fancied the other girl and John..... well, he probably fancied them both. Nevertheless, they humoured me while we stood on the South Bank leaning on the side gantry, meaning we were facing the West Stand and watching most of the action by turning our heads to the right. It did gives us a good view of the only goal of the game - a fine strike from new captain Julian Dicks. The girls never came to a game with me again.
West Ham v Wimbledon - 22nd November 1989 Littlewoods Cup 1-0 Allen Parkes, Potts, Dicks, Martin, Strodder, Keen (Fashanu), Slater, Parris (Devonshire), Ward, Brady, Allen
Two weeks after the Villa game, West Ham had the opportunity to upset another higher division side when they took on Wimbledon. Eighteen months previous, Wimbledon had famously lifted the FA Cup, were renowned for their no-nonsense approach and could also point to a good record at Upton Park (they had been victorious on their last three visits).
The Dons were packed with hardmen, or dirty players, dependent on your viewpoint. Nevertheless, West Ham were up for the challenge. The game’s controversial moment came at the start of the second half when Julian Dicks attempted to put Dennis Wise into the upper tier of the West Stand with a ferocious challenger from behind. The incident led to one of those melees that always look worse than they are and I recall Fleet Street went to town when the pictures reached the desks of sub editors. Rather than receive an honour from the Queen for his actions, Dicks found himself sent him off and West Ham were forced to play the rest of the game a man down.
But they continued to fight and a replay at Plough Lane seemed inevitable. Then a moment of magic. A passing movement involving Alan Devonshire, the late Justin Fashanu (on loan), Stuart Slater and Mark Ward ended with a cross and the sweetest of sweet volleys from Martin Allen who was playing right back at the time. On the South Bank, quite frankly meanwhile, I went fucking mental!
West Ham v Derby County - 31st January 1990 Littlewoods Cup 2-1 Slater, Keen Parkes, Potts (McQueen), Dicks, Martin, Gale, Keen, Slater, Parris, Robson, Brady, Kelly
So having dispatched of two Division One sides, West Ham were then drawn against another for the quarter final - Derby County. West Ham's league campaign had stagnated, new players were brought in and the manager - Lou Macari - was embroiled in a gambling scandal related to his time as boss of Swindon Town. Following an embarrassing FA Cup exit to Torquay United (plenty of those still to come), the Littlewoods Cup was proving the team's best hope of glory.
The sides first met on Jan. 17 at Upton Park, with the Hammers taking the lead when Dicks smashed home from 25 yards past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Welsh striker Dean Saunders equalised in the second half latching onto a under-hit back pass from Tony Gale (I've never forgotten Saunders' celebration). Martin Allen was sent off and West Ham were thankful for the replay.
A week later, the sides played out a goalless draw at the Baseball Ground. The Hammers were beset by injuries, suspensions and cup-tied players. Stewart Robson came in for his first game since 1978 (or something like that) and Macari's boys deserved to force another replay. Alvin Martin won the toss and game number 3 was back at the Boleyn Ground. On a blustery evening, the Hammers once again dug deep and went into a 2-goal lead. Macari was renowned to favour the long ball game, so perhaps it was no surprise that both goals from Stuart Slater and Kevin Keen came in such fashion. Saunders pulled a goal back but West Ham held firm and won the right to play Oldham in the semi-final. A final beckoned surely?
West Ham v Oldham Athletic - 7th March 1990 Littlewoods Cup 3-0 Martin, Dicks (pen), Kelly Miklosko, Dicks, Martin, Gale, Allen, Brady (McQueen), Keen, Slater, Parris, Rosenior, Kelly
Well, no as it happens. Spectacularly no.
On Feb. 14, West Ham travelled to Boundary Park for the first leg of the semi-final and blown away on the plastic pitch, going down 6-0 (I mean, what kind of team loses a semi-final 6-0?). A few days later, Lou Macari dramatically resigned, citing the betting scandals and FA charge as the reason. Step forward West Ham legend Billy Bonds.
The former defender/midfielder captained the side to two FA Cup final victories, played at the club for 21 years, up to the age of 41, setting the club record for appearances at 795 games. It's unlikely to be broken. Bonzo was and still remains a club legend.
The players instantly responded to the appointment, picking up four points from the next two league matches. Then came the largely redundant second leg of the semi final. I actually considered going to Arsenal that night, but tempted by the reduced ticket prices and the chance to witness this new era, I took my seat for the first time in the West Stand Upper. Despite it being a lost cause, West Ham really tore into Oldham, scoring three times, yet it could have been many more. Julian Dicks hit the bar with 10 minutes left and had that been a few inches lower, who knows how those last 10 minutes would have panned out. I'll never forget the curious sight of Oldham manager Joe Royle and his players celebrating in front of their fans at the final whistle, despite the result. I was glad they lost the final.
West Ham v Portsmouth - 10th March 1990 Division Two 2-1 Allen, Dicks (pen) Miklosko, Dicks, Foster, Gale, Allen, Brady (Quinn), Keen, Slater, Parris, Rosenior (Bishop), Kelly
Three days later, I was back in the West Stand Upper for a rare Saturday afternoon league game. My job at the time had me covering non-league football and other local regional sport, but this kind of tailed off as the season went on. For this game, I decided to fulfill a promise I'd made to myself several years previous.
I had trouble with my hearing as a young boy (still do, the wife insists) and would occasionally make the trip to the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Gray's Inn Road. As my Mum and I travelled on the underground from Liverpool Street, I worked out that the way to get to Upton Park was to take the Metropolitan Line (Hammersmith & City Line), via Aldgate and Whitechapel.
t's actually not the quickest way of getting there. Everyone knows you should take the Central Line to Mile End and change there. But a promise is a promise. So on this March afternoon, that's exactly what I need, satisfied that I had stuck to my word to travel to Upton Park via this straightforward if somewhat slow route.
The team continued their good run beating Portsmouth thanks to a header from midfielder Martin Allen, via a Julian Dicks shot, and a penalty from the latter in the second half when Kevin Ball mysteriously handled the ball from a corner.
West Ham v Sheffield United - 21st March 1990 Division Two 5-0 Allen, Morley, Quinn (3) Miklosko, McQueen, Foster, Gale, Keen, Allen, Parris, Bishop, Slater, Morley, Quinn
In March 1991, a young West Ham midfielder called Stuart Slater tore Division One giants Everton apart with a breathtaking performance in the FA Cup quarter-final. It propelled him into the consciousness of all football fans around the country and he would go on to receive a call-up to the England B squad. But for some us, it wasn't his best performance in a West Ham shirt - that had come 12 months earlier.
West Ham's late bid for a playoff place was halted by defeat to eventual league champions Leeds Utd. In the next game against Sheffield United, under the lights at Upton Park, they needed a win. Enter Stuart Slater.
I'm not sure I've seen a better individual performance in a West Ham shirt, than I saw from the young Suffolk boy that night. Quite simply, he was unplayable. The poor Sheffield United right-back probably still has nightmares more than 25 years on. Now, United would eventually win automatic promotion themselves, so were no pushovers. But they had no answer to Billy Bonds' team on this cold night and were continually carved open time and time again by Slater.
Trevor Morley fired West Ham ahead in the first half and then won a very dubious penalty, dispatched by Jimmy Quinn. Slater was running the show, making speedy, mesmeric runs on the left, turning defenders inside out. He turned provider to Martin Allen and Quinn, with another two to complete his hat-trick, to wrap things up. Although Slater didn't get on the score-sheet himself that night, the 21,629 spectators who witnessed his display were left in no-doubt - this boy had talent.
West Ham v Wolverhampton Wanderers - 5th May 1990 Division Two 4-0 Keen, Morley, Robson, Brady Miklosko, Potts, Foster, Gale, Dicks, Keen (Brady), Allen, Robson, Slater, Morley (Quinn), Rosenior
Although West Ham's late push for a playoff place would peter out, they nevertheless finished the season in some style and none more so than Liam Brady.
The mercurial Irishman had decided to hang up his boots after 17 years as a professional with his career spanning seven years with Arsenal, a further seven in Serie A, before spending three years in East London. Although his best days were behind him, Brady was still capable of exquisite distribution with his trusty left foot and could score some cracking goals as he demonstrated at Upton Park on this gloriously hot afternoon.
I took up position for the first time on the North Bank and stood at the front. This gave me an excellent view of the first two goals of this game against Wolves - a pair of diving headers from Trevor Morley and Kevin Keen. Yes, Kevin Keen.
Early in the second half, Stewart Robson (making a rare appearance) picked up the ball in his own half, ran 30 yards and fired into the bottom right hand corner of the net for number three.
Eventually, Brady replaced Keen and the crowd stood to applaud the final appearance of the maestro. All the occasion needed was a goal from the Irishman. With time running out, Brady find himself in space in the Wolves half. Moving towards the penalty area, Brady naturally shifted the ball onto his left foot and fired into the top corner from 25 yards out. Just how he would have dreamt it the night before. He ran to the south east corner of the ground but sections of the crowd met him along the way and the midfielder was engulfed by scores of fans celebrating this special moment. Soon after, the final whistle went and as was often the way for the last game of the season, many supporters, including myself, made their way onto the pitch. There we saluted Brady, the rest of the players, Billy Bonds and the magnificent Wolves supporters. What a day!