Well I enjoyed that rather more than I was expecting to. Whenever I have been to a friendly, or a testimonial I have always vowed ‘never again’. The lack of competitive edge bores me rigid, and let’s face it, this match was about the least competitive you’ll ever see. Yet somehow it represented all that is good about football.
Mark Noble is quoted on WHUFC.com as saying it couldn’t have gone any better. And he’s right. It was a sellout crowd and we were entertained with some rather good goals. Dean Ashton stole the show and left us thinking ‘what might have been’. He may have put on a few pounds but he’s still got it. His overheard scissors kick goal was a reminder of what a brilliant player he was. His one time striker partner also showed that he may be in his late thirties. but he hasn’t lost a lot of his trademark speed.
There were so many substitutions it was difficult to keep up, especially as Anton Ferdinand and Paolo di Canio played for both sides.
But we all got what we wanted – a goal from Mark Noble, a goal from Paolo and a spectacular goal from Dean Ashton. We got to see players on the Boleyn Ground pitch who we thought we’d never see again. Julian, Moncs, Marlon, Kevin Keen, Carlton, Teddy. OK, it was disappointing that Ravel Morrison and Gianfranco Zola didn’t make it, but in the end there was nothing that could spoil this occasion.
There were some comical moments including several of the players actually grouping together to take a selfie after one of the goals, and Adrian’s pitch long dribble which ended in a goal. It was fantastic to see Ludek Miklosko back in goal, and the crowd responded of course with the Ludo song. Indeed, the sellout crowd really played their part in the whole occasion, with some very funny chants. One that sticks in the mind was when Noble completely misplaced a cross. “What the f****** hell was that?” was the crowd’s response. Noble’s was a jovial two fingers. And when some of the substitutes warmed up, they were treated to a chorus of “You’re not playing cos your’e shit”.
Perhaps the day’s most emotional moment came when Taylor Tombides scored an impressive goal. He immediately looked up to the skies as if to say: “Dylan, that was for you, bro”. I’ll admit to my eyes moistening at that point. Indeed, he nearly bagged a second a couple of minutes later.
David Gold summed things up perfectly, telling Claret & Hugh…?
“Mark Noble’s testimonial transcended football – it was a wonderful day out for players old and new, their families and the fans. it was magical. It was a fabulous day. It was all about West Ham the family. And there was great fun and emotion inside the ground- the atmosphere was fantastic. With only Hammers fans inside the ground the banter was great and it was wonderful for me too as a fan seeing former heroes and meeting some, like Ian Bishop, for the first time. It was a great day. In our last season it is another game for the fans to remember – the Boleyn has done really well in her last season to have so many great moments. And it was all for one of our best loved players, Mark Noble. It was another golden Boleyn day – totally memorable.””
Here’s a record of who played…
*West Ham United: Adrian (Spiegel 29, Hatton 76), O’Brien, Tomkins (Pike 46), Reid (A Ferdinand 65, Dobson 85), Cresswell (Dobson 58, Collins 81), Song (Short 76), Obiang (Noble 65), Noble (Browne 46), Lanzini (Di Canio 65), Antonio (Sinclair 65), Emenike (Sakho 22, Diangana 58, Carroll 81)
West Ham United All-Stars: (First Half) James, Ward (Dailly 15), R Ferdinand, A Ferdinand, Dicks (Gabbidon 15), Downing (Sinclair 15), Collison, Parker (Di Canio 15), Benayoun, Bellamy, C Cole
West Ham United All-Stars: (Second Half) Walker (Miklosko 81), Lomas (Powell 58), Dailly, Upson (Blewitt 65), Gabbidon (Keen 65), Bowyer (Cohen 77), Collison (Moncur 51, Bishop 65), Harewood, Etherington, Sheringham, Ashton (Tombides 77)*
I don’t know how much money this match raised for Mark’s charities, but it must have been a lot. Credit to everyone involved.