Blast from the past
In today’s preview, we travel back to 11th April 1990; Margaret Thatcher was in her final months as Prime Minister, Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ topped the charts and, at a time of Poll Tax Riots and the Strangeways Prison Riots, West Ham United ran riot as Bournemouth, competing at the opposite end of the Second Division, visited east London.
Billy Bonds’ Hammers ran out 4-1 winners in this Wednesday night encounter in front of 20,202 spectators at the Boleyn Ground. Jimmy Quinn’s strike was deflected in for an own goal by ex-Tottenham defender Paul Miller before Ian Bishop struck a beauty into the top corner from distance against his old club after 23 minutes. David Coleman, who had celebrated his 23rd birthday just three days previously, pulled one back before half-time for Harry Redknapp’s Bournemouth, lifting the ball over Ludek Miklosko after Luther Blissett had outmuscled Colin Foster. Coleman tragically died in 1997.
In the second half, Quinn won a penalty which was dispatched with the usual aplomb by Julian Dicks, who would be voted Hammer of the Year a month later (the first of four occasions that he would win the prestigious prize). Northern Ireland striker Quinn was again involved for the fourth goal, heading Stuart Slater’s cross back across goal for Martin Allen to nod home from close range.
The video below shows the goals from this game at the 1:51:04 mark. The Hammers would end the 1989/90 campaign in 7th place in the Second Division, two points adrift of the play-offs, while Bournemouth would finish 22nd out of 24 teams and were relegated.
West Ham United: Ludek Miklosko, George Parris (Steve Potts), Tony Gale, Colin Foster, Julian Dicks, Kevin Keen, Ian Bishop, Martin Allen, Stuart Slater, Jimmy Quinn, Trevor Morley (Frank McAvennie).
Club Connections
A decent number of players have turned out for both West Ham United and Bournemouth. Hammers Academy product Junior Stanislas is currently on Bournemouth’s books and has just signed a new three-year contract while Carl Fletcher played for both clubs and is currently youth team coach with the Cherries. Ex-Bournemouth midfielder Paul Mitchell, who made one league appearance for the Hammers in 1994, is back with the Cherries as a correspondent for Opta Sports. Other players to have appeared for both clubs include:
Goalkeepers: David James, Stephen Henderson and Marek Stech.
Defenders: Everald La Ronde, Rio Ferdinand, Keith Rowland, Elliott Ward and Bobby Howe.
Midfielders: Ian Bishop, Trevor Hartley, Bobby Barnes, Tommy Southren, Jimmy Neighbour, Emmanuel Omoyinmi, Tony Scott, Anthony Edgar, Scott Mean, Matty Holmes, Jack Collison and Patsy Holland.
Strikers: Jermain Defoe, Nicky Morgan, Mark Watson, Zavon Hines, Steve Jones, Ted MacDougall.
Former Hammers player John Bond went on to manage Bournemouth, Jimmy Quinn played for both clubs and also managed the Cherries, while Harry Redknapp played for West Ham and Bournemouth and also went on to manage both clubs.
Today’s preview focuses on a winger who endured a frustrating time at West Ham United before ending his career with Bournemouth. Dale Gordon was born in Caister, Norfolk on 9th January 1967. He grew up as an Ipswich supporter but signed for Norwich and made his debut in August 1984 at the age of 17. Gordon became the first Canaries player to score in a live televised match when he skipped past Allen McKnight and netted from a tight angle against West Ham in December 1988, a match the Hammers lost 2-1 on their way to relegation. Gordon was voted Player of the Year that season before signing for Rangers for £1.2m in November 1991, scoring two on his debut for the Glasgow club and never losing any of the 55 league games he played in.
After winning two Scottish league titles, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup at Ibrox, the 26-year-old Gordon returned to England to sign for Billy Bonds’ West Ham United in the summer of 1993 for £750,000. As a right winger, Gordon was effectively bought to replace the popular Mark Robson, who had played a key role in the promotion season of 1992/93 – Robson was to depart for Charlton within weeks of the start of the 1993/94 season. Gordon, famous for his regular use of a step-over, made his debut in a 2-0 home defeat to Wimbledon on the 14th August 1993 and will forever have the honour of being the first West Ham United player to score in the Premier League – his scrambled effort in a 1-1 draw at Coventry gave the Hammers the lead in the 44th minute of the match on the 21st August 1993 before Roy Wegerle equalised in the second half. Gordon started nine of West Ham’s first ten matches of 1993/94, missing only the 4-0 home defeat to Q.P.R., but disaster was to strike after a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle on the 25th September – a series of injuries resulted in ‘Disco’ Dale not playing again for West Ham for almost two and a half years.
After a short spell on loan at Peterborough, Gordon made his Hammers return as a substitute on the 14th February 1996 in a 3-0 FA Cup fourth round replay defeat at Grimsby, by which time Harry Redknapp had taken over from Bonds. His final appearance for the Hammers came a week later in another midweek match, again as a substitute, in a fine 2-0 home win over high-flying Newcastle – Gordon raced clean through in the closing stages only to fluff his effort at goal. He was loaned out again, this time to Millwall, for most of the rest of the 1995/96 season.
Gordon left West Ham United permanently in the summer of 1996 having made 11 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal – that significant sole strike at Highfield Road though has seen his name etched in Hammers history. He signed for Bournemouth on a free transfer where he became player-coach under manager Mel Machin – he made 16 appearances for the Cherries before injuries again got the better of him and he was forced to retire in February 1997 at the age of 30.
After retiring, Gordon created his own football academy for children aged between 6 and 15 in the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft areas. In May 1997 he was appointed manager of Great Yarmouth Town, where he would later become Director of Football. Gordon took up the same role at Gorleston in November 1998 but was named manager a month later. He left Gorleston and finally joined his boyhood team Ipswich in April 2000, setting up an Ipswich Town Football Academy in Lowestoft. He was part of the PE staff at Great Yarmouth High School for eight years and also coached and worked for Great Yarmouth College where he was Student Enrichment Co-Ordinator for three years, looking after students’ sporting and social activities.
Gordon returned to Great Yarmouth Town in October 2007 as Director of Football before taking up the same role with IFA Sport in the United Arab Emirates in 2013. His son Remy joined Norwich as an Academy Scholar in the summer of 2009 and now plays for St Neot’s Town, although he broke his leg a year ago.
Referee
Saturday’s referee will be Craig Pawson; 2016/17 is Pawson’s fifth as a Premier League referee. In 2014/15 he refereed West Ham’s 3-1 home win over Liverpool and sent off Adrian in our 0-0 draw at Southampton, a decision that was later overturned. He was also the man in the middle for our 4-1 Capital One Cup home defeat to Wigan four seasons ago and our 3-1 loss at Stoke’s Britannia Stadium three seasons ago. His most recent Hammers appointments were both at the Boleyn Ground, for our 2-2 draw with Manchester City in January and the 3-3 draw with Arsenal in April.
Possible line-ups
This weekend’s match will be only the third time West Ham United and Bournemouth have met in east London for a league fixture – the Hammers’ only home league win over the Cherries, in 1990, is detailed above. Adrian is expected to reclaim his place in goal – deputy Darren Randolph has conceded 20 goals in his last four games against Bournemouth. The Hammers are without Aaron Cresswell, Manuel Lanzini, Sofiane Feghouli, Andre Ayew and Diafra Sakho, while Cheikhou Kouyate is a doubt. Arthur Masuaku is in line to return after being ineligible in the Europa League in midweek, while Slaven Bilic must decide whether to pitch Sam Byram or Michail Antonio in at right-back. Dimitri Payet is in line for a first start of the season.
Bournemouth are set to be without the injured Tyrone Mings and Junior Stanislas. Benik Afobe, who made his Cherries debut against the Hammers in January, scored three goals in his first four Premier League games for the club but has netted just once in his 12 appearances since.
Possible West Ham United XI: Adrian; Antonio, Collins, Reid, Masuaku; Tore, Noble, Nordtveit, Payet; Carroll, Valencia.
Possible Bournemouth XI: Boruc; Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Ake, Surman, Arter; Afobe, Grabban, Gradel.
Enjoy the game – Come On You Irons!