Top fives often require some of the hardest made decisions and toughest selections and picking five of West Ham’s greatest derby days against London rivals is up there with the hardest.
Season after season the Irons face bitter foes from all corners of the capital, regardless of their division. Northerners often think of their counterparts in the South as a little softer, and while the Steel City, Tyne-Wear, United-Liverpool and of course, the infamous Old Firm are amongst Britain’s most fiercely fought premier derbies, London derbies can be equally as merciless. Just mention West Ham United to any football fan, and many a good derby will spring to mind, some more notable than others. Here are just 5 of the best.
5) In 1897, two local teams battled out what was perhaps once a pleasantry. Millwall Athletic fought against their neighbours, formerly known as Thames Ironworks F.C., the team which would one day become West Ham United. While the game was not a notable one for the Irons, going down 2-0 in front of a 1,300 strong crowd at the Isle of Dogs, it was the beginning of a legacy for sometimes the wrong reasons. While derbies have often been labelled a provider of poor footballing quality, this derby has often been known for it’s battles off the pitch, so much so that it was made into the popular film “Greenstreet.” Over the years both teams have taken their fair share of the spoils with few footballing epics amongst the clashes. However West Ham vs. Millwall will always be one of the greatest of derbies, particularly in London.
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4) West Ham’s defeat of Chelsea in 1986 must go down as one of the best defeats by the Irons of the west Londoners. Goals came from Alan Devonshire, Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie saw the Hammers take the spoils in their greatest ever season in the league, finishing in an impressive 3rd place, 4 points behind eventual winners Liverpool.
3) West Ham went to an in form Tottenham in September of their ‘81/‘82 season, to conquer their North London rivals with a 4-0 drubbing. David Cross scored all four goals at White Hart Lane in a memorable night for the Irons in one of their greatest derbies wins ever recorded.
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2) The F.A. Cup final of 1975 was one of the Hammers’ greatest moments of all time, however it may also go down as one of the best derby victories too, with the boys in claret in blue putting 2 past their west London counterparts in the form of Fulham. The game also saw son of West Ham, Bobby Moore respectfully line up against his former and beloved club in his last game at Wembley. However, perhaps less conveniently for the Barking Boy, the Irons took the cup home with 2 goals from Alan Taylor enough to seal this derby in front of a massive London crowd.
1) Second division West Ham went into the F.A. Cup final of 1980 as total underdogs against a powerful Arsenal side who were going strong in the top flight of English football. A header from Hammers’ legend Trevor Brooking was enough to nick the game against their North London rivals in what was a terrific grab for the dark horses of the competition who won the trophy in style against their neighbours. Coincidentally, this was the last time the club won the F.A. Cup despite participating in two finals since then. The manner of victory against hotly touted favourites and north London opposition in one of the world’s greatest cup finals makes West Ham’s 1-0 win against Arsenal my favourite ever victory over a London rival.
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