Blast from the past
In today’s preview, we travel back almost exactly three years to 18th October 2014: Meghan Trainor was number one with ‘All About That Bass’, Gone Girl topped the UK box office and West Ham United beat Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor.
The Hammers came under pressure in the opening minutes, with George Boyd smashing a shot against the underside of the crossbar for the home side. The visitors took time to gain a foothold in the match, although Stewart Downing did strike the outside of the far post after cutting in from the right flank.
Sam Allardyce’s men were clinical in the second half though and were two goals up before the hour mark. Diafra Sakho scored his sixth goal in six starts in the 49th minute, heading home a pinpoint Aaron Cresswell cross to put the Hammers ahead. Sakho would go on to be the Irons’ top scorer in 2014/15, scoring 12 goals in 26 appearances. The visitors doubled their advantage just five minutes later, Carl Jenkinson crossing for Enner Valencia to bullet home a stunning header.
Burnley halved the deficit on the hour-mark when Adrian spilt a Michael Kightly corner and Boyd fired into the net. The Hammers secured maximum points ten minutes later – Morgan Amalfitano’s deep corner was headed back into the danger area by Sakho for Carlton Cole to bravely nod in from close range. Cole is pictured below celebrating with skipper Mark Noble, who was making his 200th Premier League appearance for West Ham United in this game to take him just three behind Steve Potts’ club’s record.
The victory, coupled with moving into the Premier League’s top four, was the perfect present for Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, who celebrated his 60th birthday the following day. West Ham would go on to finish 12th in a 2014/15 campaign that saw 25-year-old left-back Cresswell voted Hammer of the Year with 28-year-old goalkeeper Adrian runner-up for the second successive season. Burnley finished 19th and were relegated alongside QPR and Hull. Chelsea won the Premier League title and Arsenal won the FA Cup.
Burnley: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Jason Shackell, Michael Duff, Ben Mee, George Boyd, David Jones, Scott Arfield, Michael Kightly (Nathaniel Chalobah), Danny Ings (Marvin Sordell), Lukas Jutkiewicz (Ashley Barnes).
West Ham United: Adrian, Carl Jenkinson, James Collins, Winston Reid, Aaron Cresswell, Alex Song (Kevin Nolan), Mark Noble, Morgan Amalfitano, Stewart Downing, Enner Valencia (Carlton Cole), Diafra Sakho.
Club Connections
A small collection of players have turned out for the Hammers and the Clarets. They include:
Goalkeepers: Herman Conway and Frank Birchenough.
Defenders: Tyrone Mears, Joe Gallagher, David Unsworth, Tommy Dunn, Jack Tresadern, Jon Harley and Mitchell Thomas.
Midfielders: Junior Stanislas, Reg Attwell, Matt Taylor and Luke Chadwick.
Strikers: Alan Taylor, Bill Jenkinson, Sam Jennings, Walter Pollard, Ian Wright, Ian Moore and Zavon Hines.
John Bond played for the Hammers and managed the Clarets.
Today’s focus, though, falls on a player who enjoyed spells at both clubs in the 1920s. Tommy Hampson was born in Bury on 2nd May 1898 and was the younger brother of full-backs Walker and Billy – all three brothers played in the same Leeds City side three times in April 1918.
Goalkeeper Tommy had been playing mainly in the North Eastern League with South Shields and Walker Celtic when he began guesting with Leeds City in March 1917. Hampson moved to Second Division West Ham in 1920 as understudy to legendary custodian Ted Hufton, making his debut in a 1-0 win at Clapton Orient on 15th January 1921. He made four appearances in 1920/21, nine in 1921/22 and only three in the promotion campaign of 1922/23.
Hampson’s big break came shortly before Christmas 1923 when England international Hufton suffered a serious knee injury. He played 30 games in 1923/24, keeping 11 clean sheets and more than playing his part in consolidating West Ham’s top-flight status as the Hammers finished 13th in their maiden season at English football’s top table. With Hufton kept out for 16 months, Hampson (pictured right) kept his place in the side until March 1925 and continued to prove an able deputy – he kept twelve clean sheets in his 33 appearances in the 1924/25 campaign. His 79th and final appearance for the Irons came in a 5-4 defeat ironically at Burnley on 28th February 1925.
Hampson left Upton Park to join Blackburn in 1925 but failed to make an appearance for Rovers and quickly moved on to Annfield Plain and then Burnley, for whom he made six appearances in 1925/26. He went on to play for West Stanley, Darlington and Cardiff, where he spent two years before leaving for Notts County in 1929. He then moved into non-league football in 1930 with Notts Co-op Dairy. Tommy’s date of death is unknown.
Referee
The referee on Saturday will be Stuart Attwell. The Birmingham-based official will take charge of a West Ham game for only the third time, having also refereed our 1-0 victory at Wigan in March 2009 and our 3-1 win at Blackpool in February 2011. The 35-year-old sent off the Latics’ Lee Cattermole for a shocking challenge on Scott Parker, while the Hammers’ Carlton Cole also received his marching orders during the aforementioned win at Wigan. Even Latics boss Steve Bruce criticised the decision to dismiss the Irons striker.
Attwell also awarded an infamous ‘phantom’ goal for Reading in a Championship match against Watford in September 2008. He was the youngest-ever Premier League referee but was demoted from the Select Group in 2012. He has refereed six matches so far this season – two in the Premier League, two in the Championship and one each in the League Cup and Checkatrade Trophy.
Possible line-ups
Burnley are without England international Tom Heaton and Republic of Ireland forward Jonathan Walters, while Dean Marney and Nahki Wells will make returns from injuries in an Under-23 game this evening. The Clarets have lost just once in seven league games so far this term. Burnley’s only home victory against the Hammers in the last 39 years was a 2-1 win in February 2010.
West Ham United are close to boasting a full squad – James Collins is the only senior player in the treatment room, with Pedro Obiang and Edimilson Fernandes now back in training. Chicharito only returned from international duty yesterday but will be named in the squad. Pablo Zabaleta is one yellow card away from a one-match suspension. The Hammers have won 14, drawn three and lost just two of their last 19 matches against Burnley home and away in all competitions, stretching back to 1979.
Possible Burnley XI: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Brady, Defour, Cork, Arfield; Hendrick; Wood.
Possible West Ham United XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Fonte, Reid, Cresswell; Antonio, Kouyate, Lanzini, Arnautovic; Sakho, Chicharito.
Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!