Blast from the past
19th August 1972 – Alice Cooper was number one with ‘School’s Out’ and Leicester City’s luck was out as they were defeated at Upton Park in front of 25,490 spectators.
Goals from Len Glover and Mike Stringfellow had ensured Leicester had kept the game at 2-2 at half-time but the Hammers blew them away in the second half and ran out 5-2 winners. ‘Pop’ Robson grabbed a double, while Dudley Tyler, Bobby Moore and Ade Coker also found themselves on the scoresheet.
The win put West Ham fifth in the fledgling First Division table. The Hammers would go on to equal their (at the time) highest-ever position of sixth in a campaign that saw Moore overtake Jimmy Ruffell’s record number of league appearances for the club, a record that had stood unbeaten since 1936.
Robson, who bagged a brace against the Foxes, 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: Bobby Ferguson, John McDowell, Bobby Moore, Tommy Taylor, Frank Lampard, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking, Dudley Tyler, Pop Robson, Ade Coker, Clyde Best.
Leicester City: Peter Shilton, Steve Whitworth, David Nish, Alan Woollett, John Sjoberg, Mike Stringfellow, Graham Cross, Jon Sammels, Keith Weller, Len Glover, John Farrington.
Club Connections
A large number of players have represented both West Ham United and Leicester City. Paul Konchesky returns to Upton Park, the home of his boyhood idols, this weekend. Konchesky was seconds away from joining Ronnie Boyce, Alan Taylor and Trevor Brooking in etching his name in West Ham United’s FA Cup Final folklore before Steven Gerrard spoiled the party back in 2006. Ex-Hammers captain Matthew Upson is also currently on the Foxes’ books but is yet to make an appearance due to a lengthy absence with an ankle injury.
Other players to have represented both clubs include: Andy Impey, John Pantsil, David Connolly, Mike Newell, Gary Charles, Brian Deane, Clive Clarke, Paul Kitson, Shaun Newton, Chris Powell, Dai Jones, Rufus Brevett, Nolberto Solano, Norman Proctor, Les Ferdinand, George Hebden, Franz Carr, William Oakes, Tony Cottee, Colin Mackleworth, Jimmy Quinn and Syd Bishop.
Frank O’Farrell, Jimmy Bloomfield and Martin Allen have played for the Hammers and managed the Foxes.
Today’s focus though is on a much-travelled striker who got his big break with West Ham but departed for Leicester. David Kelly suffered from Perthes Disease (a hip disorder) as a child but began his nomadic career with Walsall in 1983 after they plucked him from the local Cadbury’s factory. His record of 150 appearances and over 60 goals in his five seasons with the Saddlers earned him a £600,000 move to First Division West Ham United in August 1988, the Hammers having a striker-shaped hole and money to spend after the £2.2m sale of Tony Cottee to Everton the previous week. He made a bright start, scoring 9 goals in his first 16 games in all competitions but only notched 2 goals in his remaining 23 appearances of the season as The Irons were relegated. Kelly only managed 3 goals in 25 appearances in 1989/90 and was sent off in an early-season match at Hull as the Hammers adapted to life in the second tier; he was transferred to Leicester City for £300,000 on deadline day in March 1990 after less than two seasons at The Boleyn Ground.
His goals at Filbert Street helped the club maintain their Second Division status in 1990/91 and mount a challenge for promotion in 1991/92. After 22 goals in 66 appearances for the Foxes, Kelly fell out with incoming manager Brian Little and opted to swap the upper echelons of the Second Division for a relegation scrap at the other, signing for Ossie Ardiles’ Newcastle United in November 1991. Kelly went on to represent Wolves, Sunderland, Tranmere, Sheffield United, Motherwell, Mansfield and Derry City.
Although born in Birmingham, Kelly was capped for the Republic of Ireland, bagging a hat-trick on his debut against Israel in November 1987 and scoring 9 times in total in his 26 appearances for his adopted country. He was a member of the Irish squad at Euro ’88, as well as the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.
Kelly has had extensive coaching experience since retiring from playing, first as Assistant Manager at Tranmere Rovers and he has regularly teamed up with Billy Davies at Preston North End, Derby County and Nottingham Forest. Now aged 49, he is currently assistant manager at Scunthorpe United.
Referee
Saturday’s referee will be Martin Atkinson; 2014/15 is Atkinson’s tenth as a Premier League referee. Since West Ham United achieved promotion back to the top flight in 2012 Atkinson has refereed seven of our league matches, officiating in three wins for the Hammers, one draw and three defeats. Atkinson was the man in the middle for the Irons’ 2-2 draw at Hull earlier this season, as well as our 2-1 home victory over Manchester City.
Possible line-ups
Sam Allardyce has an unbeaten record against Leicester City as a manager; in seven matches at both Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United, Big Sam has guided his teams to four victories and three draws against the Foxes. Allardyce has made it clear he will look to rotate his squad over the festive period. Mark Noble has been ruled out by Big Sam but could be fit for the visit to Chelsea on Boxing Day. Morgan Amalfitano and Enner Valencia may be in line for recalls if Allardyce decides to rest any of his midfielders or strikers ahead of the London derbies against Chelsea and Arsenal. James Tomkins is one yellow card away from a one-match suspension. Whatever the weekend’s results, West Ham will not drop out of the top six.
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson, who was Allardyce’s assistant at Newcastle, will be without injured duo Matthew Upson and Kaspar Schmeichel. Ritchie De Laet (illness) and David Nugent (ankle) are also struggling for fitness ahead of Saturday’s match. Foxes trio Liam Moore, Anthony Knockaert and Leonardo Ulloa are all pushing for first-team places after starting last weekend’s home defeat to Manchester City on the bench.
Possible West Ham United XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell; Song, Kouyate, Amalfitano; Downing; Carroll, Sakho.
Possible Leicester City XI: Hamer; Simpson, Moore, Morgan, Konchesky; Knockaert, Cambiasso, Drinkwater, King, Schlupp; Ulloa.
Enjoy the game – Come On You Irons!