In 1980 West Ham possibly achieved their greatest triumph in defeating the holders Arsenal to win the FA Cup and becoming the last team from outside the top flight to achieve this feat.
Seven games against five teams playing in three cities and beating three teams from the division above all to reach the final of the oldest cup competition, the film over 30 minutes documents that journey using pictures, news reports and Match of the day and Big match footage to tell the story of how the club reached the final at Wembley in May, also featuring the No1 songs at the time each game was played.
Watch as the Hammers embark on a campaign that would make hero's into Club legends and see the interviews with some of the stars and the manager that made it happen
From Stewarts penalty, Devonshire's Run to Dreaming of a Frank Lampard this is
In 1911 West ham United, then of the southern league, faced Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup. In the two previous round The Hammers had defeated other league clubs, Nottingham Forest and preston, but United, as in these days, were a big draw as evident by the sellout crowd at the Boleyn of 27,000. The crowd mainly Hammers fans did include a fair size cheering for the Lancastrians as many from the north had ventured south looking for work in the previous years and used this to good use to see their home town team live.
This was the reds first ever visit to the Boleyn and they were to leave empty handed in the first ever cup upset at the hammers ground.
The video, the oldest known film of West Ham at The Boleyn Ground, shows the two teams running out of the original tunnel at the Boleyn ground, located in etc south west corner of the ground, while some websites have the hammers in their claret and blue kit, i believe West Ham to be wearing the all white kit, running out first.
The reason for my believing this is that at that time the hammers had a centre half called Tommy Randall, who was known by his bald head, also the clubs trainer Tom Robinson can be seen following out the team in white then standing facing the camera, The favourites Manchester then run out in the darker kit.
The action is filmed from a stationary camera situated in the North West corner looking over towards a packed Chicken Run stand and though it captures the Manchester team celebrating what seems to be a goal, it was West Ham who would run out winners. Wapping Born Danny Shea put West Ham one up early on, only for United to equalise after 22 minutes thanks to Sandy Turnbull, but with just 2 minutes left of the 90 Tommy Caldwell put the hammers through to the next round.
Danny Shea
To put in context how big an upset this was, prior to this season West ham had yet to defeat a top flight team in the FA cup and Manchester United at the time of the game were top of the First Division and would go on to win the title two months later.
As West Ham prepare to meet Man United in the FA Cup this coming Sunday we look back at another great cup victory by the hammers away at Old Trafford.
The winter of 1986 came late and hard, Febuary of 1986 started with West Ham defeating Manchester United in the league then they had Ipswich Town twice in FA Cup replays that was finally ended with Tony Cottee's goal in extra time on a snow covered Portman Road pitch on the 6th of that month, and that game would be the last played in Febuary by the Hammers in fact in-between the 4th of Febuary and the 12 of March we only played FA Cup games, 5 in total.
The first game of the fifth round at The Boleyn
ended in a 1-1 draw, Frankie Mac scoring in the first half after good work from Devonshire and then a cross by Cottee across the goal mouth for Frank to put the hammers 1 up.
With around 15 minutes to go in the second half United finally got their equaliser with Frank Stapleton effort.
The Hammers then laid siege to the Manchester goal but Chris Turner in the Red army's goal kept out notable efforts by McAvennie and Alvin Martin, and Devonshire after a trademark run into the area fired just wide of the post.
And so it was to Old Trafford six days later that the tie resumed, this time in front on the nation as ITV's big match were on hand to show the game live, United were the reigning FA Cup holders after defeating Everton 1-0 the previous May and after one of the best ever starts to a league season, 10 straight wins, they had started to slip down the league, in contrast the hammers had started slowly but though sitting in fifth spot and 10 points off the top, due to weather and cup ties were 5 games behind Liverpool who were holding the top spot.
West Ham's team for the day was Parkes in goal, a back 4 of Stewart, Parris, Gale and Martin. Devonshire Ward Dickens and Geoff Pike held the middle with McAvennie & Cottee up front.
Early exchanges in the game were even, Parkes saving early doors with Mark Hughes lurking, but then McAvennie drove wide after a good run.
Parkes then saved at the feet of Mark Hughes when he looked easier to score but the ball stuck under his foot allowing Parkes to gather.
In the 19th minute West Ham won a corner on the United left, mark ward crossed to the edge of the area where Geoff pike was standing unmarked, he powered his header past Turner in the goal into the top right hand corner to put the hammers one up with his first goal of the season.
The scoreline remain unchanged upto the end of the half. The Red United came out and carved out a chance early forcing Parkes into a great save down to his right after a strong shot by Mark Hughes, Parkes recovered to collect the follow up shot by Jesper Olson.
Stapleton then headed wide at the back post with Parkes scrambling back across his goal.
West Ham won a free kick halfway in the opposition half, Ray Stewart floated the ball over and as Alvin Martin came running he clashes with Stapleton, falling to the ground and the Referee didn't hesitate to award the hammers a penalty.
Stewart dispatched his fifth penalty of the season and after 50 minutes the Hammers are two up.
With that penalty Manchester's hopes of retaining the trophy disappeared while the Hammers looked forward to a sixth round date 3 days later against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
After facing United 3 times in the FA Cup during the 1980's the two teams would not meet again in that competition again for another 15 years.
