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PostmanPissed
6:06 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Gonna be honest have been watching reruns of highlights and it choked me up a bit. For a club of our stature 40 years without another major trophy is god damn awful, embarrassing, but that day never fails to fill me with pride.
I was seven years old at the time and the only games I missed in the run up to the final were West Brom away and the semi final replay, Orient in the fourth round was my first ever away game. Anyway, my dad had tickets to take me to the final, but I went down with appendicitis in the week leading up to the final. I was in Rush Green hospital and allowed out the day before the game, I should have been kept in a day or two longer but they let me go to watch the final at home, under doctors orders I wasn't allowed to go. Dad went with a couple of his friends, my ticket unused.
I got up the morning of the game eager to get my West Ham shirt on, I had read in a paper that we had chosen to wear all white as we thought it was a lucky omen from the semi final. So there I was decked out in full admiral kit, away shirt, home shorts and socks, and the socks pulled up to the knee so that that claret band and light blue admiral logos going around the band were on show.
During the morning I went with my mum around the local shops in Porters Avenue, Dagenham, it seemed to me that the majority were done up in claret and blue decoration, well the butchers, greengrocer, chemist, Roundhouse pub and wool shop certainly were. The wool shop was run by Steve Potts mum, which they lived above, and were selling little claret and blue woollen figures, I was so West Ham obsessed a figure was a must.
The match itself I watched around my friends three doors down, his dad had decorated the windows of their house, and ours, with a foil FA Cup and claret and blue ribbons. My recall was that the game wasn't the greatest to watch, confirmed when I watched it on video a decade later, but that didn't matter in he slightest West Ham were the greatest team in the country for me that day. John Lyall had pulled off a tactical masterstroke, we normally played a 442 but David Cross was to play as the lone striker with his partner Stuart Pearson sitting deeper. That day every player put in shift, Phil Parkes the world most expensive keeper was dependable and pulled off a couple of good saves, the fullbacks Ray Stewart and Frank Lampard were solid, The journeyman striker David Cross covered every blade of grass without ever getting a sniff on goal, his strike partner Stuart Pearson working hard in he unfamiliar role of midfield, Alan Devonshire a constant threat when we attacked, the youth team graduates Alvin Martin, Geoff Pike and Paul Allen playing like cup finals with such composure you would think FA Cup finals were common practice for them. Sir Trevor making Old Big Mouth eat his words, who cares if he feel over, if he meant it or not, it was a goal end of, a goal that would to this day give me my greatest feeling of being a West Ham fan. Holding it all together and playing like the true leader he is was Bonzo, putting himself on the line to take a bit of pressure off of his teammates, working like a horse but also the calming influence. They were a team, the unused sub Paul Brush, another graduate, and squad players in Bobby Ferguson, Jimmy Neighbour and Patsy Holland were ecstatic at the final whistle. Brush would get a medal, the other three missed out but it didn't seem to matter to them at that moment, Patsy Holland even in tears himself with his arms around the tearful Paul Allen. John Lyall beaming with pride at the tunnel end at what his boys had achieved as they went on their lap of honour.
Me and my mate were sat in his garden on deckchairs posing for photos in our kits holding a foil covered cardboard cut out of the FA Cup while my mates younger brother was made to kneel down and blow bubbles from a pot behind us.
The celebrations on the Sunday are hazy but I recount being perched on my dads shoulders in front of the balcony of East Ham town hall, my mum hoping up and down on tiptoes to get a better view.
Also had the privilege of holding the FA Cup when the club allowed it to be taken on a tour of local pubs and social clubs. I got to hold it at the extension of the Roundhouse pub, what was then a bingo hall.
Little did I realise that to this day would I never see us with another major trophy, but I'm glad I got to experience the excitement of that day . Soppy I know but it still puts a lump in my throat.
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only1billybonds
6:06 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Manuel.
Indeed mate. I guess we all take right and wrong turns in life and i clearly took a massive wrong one back then.
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Manuel
5:52 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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I lived in Mellish St as a nipper, not from from The Tooke. Rough looking boozer, think my Uncle's use to drink in The Ship.
Billy - Yea, that must hurt about your old flat.
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only1billybonds
5:27 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Ted.
Alright mate.
I was round the other side,Manchester Rd. My (1st) Mrs lived behind the Tooke and we were regulars in there every Friday night. My old man used to drive out of the Beechams deoot across the road frim the Blacksmiths arms,another old haunt of mine. When i got my flat in Kelson hse (1980) i was a regular in the Dorset arms or the George,popping into the Watermans Arms in between.
I could have bought my flat for 11k when i left Londin in 84,its now worth over 1.3 mil. Probably my biggest mistake,especially when i factor in that i only left the Island so my Mrs could be near her twin sister in Bedfordshire,only for us to splut up 2 years later. Ouch.
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ted fenton
5:14 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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only1billybonds 4:13 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
From the minute i left my flat on the Isle of Dogs at 9am that morning
Where was your flat Billy anywhere near the Tooke ?
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Troy McClure
4:53 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Amusing little side story to this game...
My QPR supporting mate tells me that his dad had West Ham to win 2-0 that day and had apparently stuck a good few quid on it. When Allen was brought down when through on goal By Willie young - he was apparently going berserk.
He never got over it and spent the next few seasons berating Young every time he played against QPR!!
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only1billybonds
4:42 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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STH first dubs then voucher system from home game programnes. Me and mates queued up for hours for our tickets, got to the gound 4am ish. Was a great buzz having that ti ket in my hands by midday.
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13 Brentford Rd
4:38 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Ridiculous that he never played for England.
Must be the best English player not to have in my lifetime.
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Chip Shop Charlie
4:36 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Billy Bonds played a blinder....he was everywhere that day.
He was truly worthy of lifting the cup.
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13 Brentford Rd
4:24 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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ST holders got first dibs. Wasn't a ST holder. Can't remember if the voucher scheme in programmes was in place back then or if that came s bit later.
Remember successfuly queuing down Green St for a LC final ticket the year after but can't remember if it was voucher or not?
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cup of tea
4:17 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Serious question, as I was too young. What happened re tickets back then did people just turn up or was there a priority system?
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only1billybonds
4:13 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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From the minute i left my flat on the Isle of Dogs at 9am that morning i knew it was to be our day,just had a feeling. Met mates at Mile End station and thus begam one of the great great days of my life.
Very good video featuring Alvin and the cup run on Canning Town Len's you tube channel.
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the coming of gary
4:07 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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my first season of going West Ham aged 15, ended with the trip to Wembley for the cup final
felt like the correct finish, like a band playing their big hit at the end of a gig
i didnt know it wouldnt always be like this
.
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cup of tea
3:59 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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"Big IF, but where would an open top parade take place now? "
First of all, we'll never have to worry about it with these clowns in charge and LOLble as captain.
If we ever did win the FA Cup it would be held outside Stratford Mosque and be sponsored by Al-Jalalabad Halal Butchers
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terry-h
3:57 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Hairy Hammer 10:26
We didn't get promoted until 1981.
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13 Brentford Rd
3:11 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Ag ag. First game I bunked in was 87 at Spurs when we lost 5-0 , LC quarter final the season Clive Allen scored 40 if my memory serves me?
Load of us paid a fiver on the turnstiles at half time.
Think they were only 1 up at HT.
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Far Cough
2:58 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Road son, surprised you never bunked in even at the age of 14
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13 Brentford Rd
2:56 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Tinged with sadness as my Grandpa who was at the White horse final and was the one that took me to watch West Ham when I was young died 2 weeks before the final.
I was 14. Couldn't get a ticket, remember watching it in my room on a black & white portable. At the final whistle was so excited I went charging downstairs and twisted my ankle, not badly enough to stop going to the town hall next day.which I'll never forget.
Winning the cup in those days was really special.
Big IF, but where would an open top parade take place now?
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Far Cough
1:51 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Test Match Special on BBC right now from Edgbaston, England need two wickets to level in the Ashes
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/cricket/52471330
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Far Cough
1:33 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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The whole match here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETGQxdBiVnA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1hZfyhJh4q_ATndl4eF3wPKUhCUtc-_Nrv8lMuTQmQYP9R1OoJbsATobw
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yngwies Cat
12:49 Sun May 10
Re: At 3.14pm 40yrs Ago Today
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Watched at home family all crowded round the box like we used to. Loved all the pre-match stuff, the Good Year blimp flying over the house ( might have go the year wrong)
Superb bragging rights at school on Monday.
Shame we've not anything on not since, maybe next year eh..
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