Guest Post by John Bayfield
We all have our favourite Hammers goal. Whether they are from way back in the past or from more recent times, a long range hit, a well worked team effort, something means more about that goal than all the others. During our hiatus from football action, I was thinking back to my favourite West Ham United goal. Plenty to choose from, some are more famous than others. So which one meant most to me?
I would have put Andy Carroll’s bicycle kick against Crystal Palace near the top. Brilliant strike. Or Alan Devonshire’s long mazy run at most of Wrexham’s team at the Racecourse Ground in the 2nd division 2-2 draw in 1980 up there as well. Exquisitely executed. Or Sir Trevor’s header to win the 1980 FA Cup Final. The occasion itself, the emotion of the day, our underdogs succeeding when all pundits went for the Gunners. Or David Cross’ third at Spurs in 1981. Superb volley from a great build up for his hat trick. Pedro Obiang’s screamer against Spurs at Wembley? Any from Cottee’s collection?
And where do I start with the next fella? The 2002 Paolo di Canio volley at Chelsea, in stride, flicked it up and sent a left foot football bullet into the net from 25 yards. Paolo again; THAT mid-air volley at home to Wimbledon March 2000. Pure genius. A Tevez special? One from the Payet catalogue? Both the latter had scored great goals at Old Trafford. And it was on this ground where was my favourite Hammers goal was scored.
Manchester United were the media mob’s favourites during the nineties and noughties. Justifiably so, winning most things year on year. Back pages of the papers had United forefront. Headlines and photos galore, you had to turn back a few pages to get much from the rest combined. Match of the Day for starters, I bet if someone could see how many times they came on as first game, it would be a high percentage. At least The Big Match had London teams on it. Mates at work harping on about their continued success. I would turn on the radio on Saturdays and within minutes United had just scored to take the lead. Watched TV, flicked over just to see how they were doing…..great they are behind, kept watching, two minutes later they are level soon followed by winner. I got to the point where if they were on live I wouldn’t watch. Watched the highlights when they lost which was a rarity. April 2000, I called mum from a Florida holiday to find out how we had done at Old Trafford in a league game. Came her reply after a sigh, ‘well West Ham scored first…. but they lost 7-1’. Paulo Wanchope got ours. I wouldn’t have even minded them going through a season unbeaten. Drawing every game would have been ok. Thus 38 points, enough to be battling for relgation! See where this is going?
When we drew the Reds in the FA Cup 4th Round at Old Trafford in January 28th 2001 for me that was our cup run finished. I asked a Reds fan who he would like to get for the 5th Round, I was that confident. We had lost 3-1 comfortably up there in the league four weeks earlier. We hadn’t won there since August 1986.The general feeling from pundits alike was that all the home team had to do was turn up.
Manchester United; Barthez, Irwin, Silvestre, Stam, G Neville, Beckham, Giggs, Keane, Butt, Sheringham and A Cole West Ham United; Hislop. Tihinen, S Pearce, Dailly, Schemmel, Winterburn, Lampard, J Cole, Carrick, Kanoute and di Canio.
Hislop and Kanoute passed late fitness tests. Shaka got injured early on mis-kicking a through ball so Stuart Pearce took the goal kicks. Not a great start. But I promised myself to watch until we were two down before turning the TV off. To their credit our boys ran their socks off and we rode our luck. Giggs twice went close then Sheringham missed an open goal for a heart stopping moment. Shaka made some good saves and there were two good shouts for handball in our area. As the second half wore on Carrick, Lampard and Cole were holding on to the ball for longer spells and it took a lot of pressure off the defence. The longer it went on I thought we could get a draw and the nerves were really kicking in. In the 76th minute Freddie Kanoute laid on a precise pass to Paulo just outside their area. United’s defenders appealed for offside. No flag, so Di Canio moved further into the box unchallenged. I was thinking we must put this rare chance away. Barthez then copied his defenders by raising his arm for offside which is known as the ‘Taxi for Barthez‘ sign. Di Canio still had to get it in the net. He hit it along the ground with the outside of his right foot. The split second he did I thought he had miskicked the ball. But he had hit it early and cleverly enough, not waiting to use his left foot coming in from the right for Barthez to make any effort to stop the shot. As the ball went in it felt like my feet were nearer the ceiling than the floor. Hot favourites 0 Rank outsiders 1.
Combining all the elements written earlier, the media-Reds love in, Fergie continually blaming refs, the arrogance built up through the seasons and culminating that United only needed to turn up, it was like David pulling Goliath along way back down to earth. And kicking him somewhere very tender for good measure. I looked at the Scot being interviewed later and smugly said to the face on the screen ‘Take that Ferguson’. Not all my words to him, some I couldn’t print but you get my drift.Years of pent up anti –United frustration dissipated (a little) when Paolo Di Canio scored MY favourite West Ham United goal.