Blast from the past
Allow me to take you back forty-one years, to Good Friday, 20th April 1973. Edward Heath was Prime Minister and ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree’ was number one. An 11am kick-off saw West Ham United take on Southampton in front of 33,039 at The Boleyn Ground – it was to be a particularly good Friday for the Hammers and a great one for Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson as the Sunderland-born striker netted a hat-trick to lead West Ham to a 4-3 win over the Saints in the old First Division.
Two goals in four minutes early on from Robson put the Hammers in a commanding position but, rather typically, the lead had been thrown away by half-time as Paul Gilchrist scored a brace of his own to level the match. Robson completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute, leaping high to head in a Trevor Brooking cross and restore the hosts’ lead. Brooking turned from goal-maker to goal-taker to effectively clinch the game for the Irons in the 83rd minute, but there was still time for Mick Channon to net a further consolation for the visitors in this seven-goal thriller.
The win put West Ham level with Ipswich in joint-fourth place, with three matches to play. It was to prove the Hammers’ final victory of 1972/73 however, as we closed the campaign with two draws and a defeat. In doing so, West Ham equalled their (at the time) highest-ever position of sixth in a campaign that saw Bobby Moore overtake Jimmy Ruffell’s record number of league appearances for the club, a record that had stood unbeaten since 1936.
‘Pop’ Robson, the hat-trick hero against the Saints (pictured with the matchball from the game), finished 1972/73 as the leading goal-scorer in England’s top four divisions, with twenty-eight goals from forty-two appearances, winning him the Adidas-sponsored Golden Boot award. Twenty-six of these goals were from open play, with only two from the penalty spot. He was also, unsurprisingly, that season’s recipient of the Hammer of the Year award.
West Ham United: Peter Grotier, John McDowell (Bertie Lutton), Kevin Lock, Bobby Moore, Frank Lampard, Billy Bonds, Pat Holland, Trevor Brooking, Clyde Best, Bryan Robson, Ted McDougall.
Southampton: Eric Martin, Jim Steele (Billy Beaney), Dave Walker, Paul Bennett, Joe Kirkup, Brian O’Neil, Wayne Talkes, Hugh Fisher, Terry Paine, Mick Channon, Paul Gilchrist.
Club Connections
An array of West Ham United’s good, bad and ugly have also turned out for Southampton: Vic Watson, Paul Allen, Richard Hall, Joe Kirkup, Wayne Bridge, Justin Fashanu, Nigel Quashie, Christian Dailly, David Speedie, Iain Dowie, Eyal Berkovic, Richard Wright, Neil Ruddock and Robbie Slater have all appeared for both clubs. In addition, Harry Redknapp and Alan Pardew have managed both the Hammers and the Saints.
While we’re on the subject of diminutive goalscorers though, today’s focus will fall on David Connolly. The “angry ant”, as Glenn Roeder tagged him, signed for the Hammers for a bargain £285,000 in the aftermath of relegation from the Premier League in August 2003. Following spells with Watford and Feyenoord, along with loan stints at Wolves and Excelsior, West Ham United signed Connolly from Wimbledon, for whom he had bagged an impressive forty-two goals in sixty-three appearances over two seasons.
Connolly was controversially left out of the starting line-up for the season-opener at Preston North End after the West Ham team coach had collected loan signing Neil Mellor at a service station the day before the game. Connolly came off the bench to strike the winner on his debut in a 2-1 victory before threatening to leave the club following his omission from the XI. He stayed and went on to score fourteen goals for the Hammers in forty-eight appearances in all competitions. After a single season in east London had ended in play-off final defeat, Connolly left for Leicester in a £500,000 deal.
Connolly had spells in the Premier League at both Wigan and Sunderland before signing for his former West Ham manager Alan Pardew at League One Southampton in October 2009. Connolly’s career with the Saints began in the same fashion as it did with the Hammers, with a debut goal after appearing from the bench – this time in a 3-1 win at Oldham in a Southampton side containing Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert. The Republic of Ireland international was to stay at St Mary’s for three seasons, which included a promotion to the Championship, scoring seventeen goals in sixty-seven appearances in all competitions. He signed for Saints’ local rivals Portsmouth in December 2012 and remains part of their squad today, although he is yet to appear for the club in 2014/15. He enjoyed a successful loan spell at Oxford United last season.
Referee
Saturday’s referee will be Mike Dean; 2014/15 is Dean’s fifteenth as a Premier League referee. Since West Ham United achieved promotion back to the top flight in 2012 Dean has refereed eight of our league matches, officiating in five wins for the Hammers, two draws and just the one defeat. Dean was the man in the middle for an away victory for Swansea at Old Trafford on the opening day of this season and a draw at Villa Park between Aston Villa and Newcastle last weekend – let’s hope he completes the set of results with a home win this weekend!
Possible line-ups
Sam Allardyce is unlikely to make many changes from the side that played so well in earning victory at Selhurst Park last Saturday. Ricardo Vaz Te has struggled in the opening fixtures, while Matt Jarvis, according to the manager, remains unavailable. As a result, I would not be surprised to see Mo Diame played out of position on the left flank. Enner Valencia would perhaps have been in line for a starting spot this weekend if he had not been involved in an unplanned 120 minutes against Sheffield United in midweek following the withdrawal of Diafra Sakho through injury. Carlton Cole, fresh from his first goal of the season against Crystal Palace, may therefore start again but I would expect to see Valencia given at least thirty minutes from the bench.
Southampton could name an unchanged starting XI from their goalless home draw with West Brom last Saturday. Wales Under-21 midfielder Lloyd Isgrove, who was an unnamed substitute for that game, has picked up a knee injury and will miss out, alongside long-term injury victim Jay Rodriguez. The Saints are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Possible West Ham United XI: Adrian; O’Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell; Kouyate, Noble; Downing, Zarate, Diame; Cole.
Possible Southampton XI: Forster; Clyne, Yoshida, Fonte, Bertrand; Wanyama, Schneiderlin; Davis, Ward-Prowse, Tadic; Pelle.
Enjoy the game – Come On You Irons!