Guest Post by Rome Hammer
On a hot Wednesday evening, September 2, 1981, I went to see Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United at White Hart Lane, a passionate affair and a real corker of a match. It was the second game of the 1981/2 Season. West Ham’s opener, at home to Brighton the Saturday before, had been a dour game with neither side impressing in the 1-1 draw. West Ham’s unsteady inauguration to the top flight, after the record-breaking promotion season—a season that John Lyall would later write as being his personal best—provoked the press to speculate on the Hammers’ chances of survival. The mid-week derby, against the reigning FA Cup winners’ and their international pack of flamboyant stars, such as Ricky Villa, Ray Clemence, Glen Hoddle and Steve Perryman, was to have provided a more trying task for the new boys from Upton Park.
I reached White Hart Lane at 7.30, fifteen minutes before kick-off, and managed to squeeze myself in amongst the heaving legions of West Ham fans already crammed into the stadium. I was lucky to secure a minuscule spot on a ledge right at the back of the terraces, from where I perched to view the game. The Park Lane stand that night was completely packed to the rafters with West Ham fans. The ground was crammed to breaking point; three sides swayed to the pre-match chants, while to our left stood Tottenham’s new West Stand, nearly completed, gleaning, pristine and empty; but this deserted side didn’t detract from the atmosphere. The morning after’s newspapers gave that night’s attendance as 41,200—200 more than the maximum official capacity allowed while Tottenham were doing up the ground.
West Ham’s squad that season was more or less made up of the same sides that had won the FA Cup in 1980, reached the League Cup final and the quarter finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1981, and that which had set the record breaking total of 66 points in winning the old Second Division Championship, the last season that two points were awarded for a win. By today’s standards West Ham would have won promotion with 94 points, which, I believe, would still be a post-war points record. West Ham’s line up that night was: Phil Parkes; Ray Stewart, Frank Lampard, Billy Bonds, Alvin Martin; Alan Devonshire, Geoff Pike, Paul Allen, Jimmy Neighbour; David Cross and Paul Goddard with Bobby Barnes as substitute. Missing was the celestial talent of Trevor Brooking who was still not match fit after injury.
Before the match, two middleweight boxers saluted the crowd from the pitch. One was Mark Kaylor, an ardent West Ham supporter who fought in his team’s colours, and the other was Jimmy Ellis, who was billed on the night as being a Tottenham fan. The terraces greeted them with a deafening roar and the chanting grew ever louder. These two were to fight at Wembley Arena on September 15 with Kaylor winning.
The kick-off pushed the highly partisan crowd to fever pitch and an even greater din and commotion ensued; the atmosphere that night was so electric that London’s energy demand could have been supplied direct from the ground.
When David Cross scored at the Paxton End of the ground in the first half, the West Ham end erupted in unconstrained jubilation; the crowd swayed as one and I was nearly swept down the terraces in the reeling revelry. It was a happy claret and blue contingent that belted out “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” throughout the half-time ceremonies rendering the on-the-pitch presentations inaudible; but none of West Ham’s choirboys could have imagined the second half’s fanfare. It was a shame that Eammon Andrews was not there to present ’This is Your Life" to the man-of-match: the indomitable David Cross, or “Psycho” as he was fondly known. For it was his goals that trounced Spurs that night, four in all, the third, a spectacular right-footed volley from a Geoff Pike cross. Cross later claimed that that goal, and the his mercurial performance that night was one of the best of his career, and in appreciation of his efforts shirts soon appeared in the East End emblazoned with: Tottenham 0 Psycho 4.
And what joy there was on the terraces. The roof shook, the stanchions rattled, and the terraces rippled to the dancing of “Knees Up Mother Brown.” Not a squeak was heard from the despondent Tottenham followers as they slunk off early. The Shelf had been shelved. For the last fifteen minutes the West Ham fans sang out “We took the piss again, Tottenham, Tottenham!” When the game finished rapturous applause of unbounded joy exploded from the West Ham supporters. The mile and a half walk back to Seven Sisters tube station was to see some skirmishing as the Tottenham devotees took offence at not only the result, but also to the constant chanting of “We took the piss again.” That night at Seven Sisters Station the Tube’s tunnels echoed all over London with the ecstatic rejoicing of the boys (and girls) in claret and blue. West Ham were back and no-one would speculate further on the chances of the Irons going back down that season.