The Top 10 West Ham Goals of my era

West Ham United have scored some extremely iconic goals in their 120 years history, far too many to mention in one article.

Article by Tom Burford

'Like' e-West Ham on our Facebook Page!

So many classics were scored in our golden era, stretching from the mid 60’s to late 80’s where we had some wonderful players.

But I wanted to create a list of goals that have meant the most to me in the short time I’ve been supporting West Ham.

My first game was in 1997, a 5-1 over Sheffield Wednesday, so I’m sorry to disappoint the older readers, but there are no Brookings, McAvennies, Cottees, Hursts or Moores in this list, just 10 goals since the 96/97 that have stayed in my memory forever.

These aren’t all the best goals technically, just in order of importance to me. It would be great to hear you list in the comments below.

Number 10 – Paolo Di Canio (Manchester United 0-1 West Ham – F.A. Cup 28/01/01)

I remember this day very well. It was the first time I’d been watching West Ham (without the use of historic season review videos) that we beat Manchester United.

I would have been 11 years old and I remember watching this one on the T.V. in the living room with my Dad and childhood friend and Chelsea fan, Jamie.

I seem to remember vaguely Shaka Hislop being a major injury doubt for the game with a back injury and it being a very late decision to pick him over Craig Forrest. Shaka made some crucial saves but was all over the place at times, even electing a defender to take the goal kicks for him. We somehow survived though and it was this goal that won us the game.

Kanoute picked the ball up about 20 yards out and slid an inch perfect ball through to Di Canio who was clean through. United keeper Fabian Barthez famously just stood still and held his arm in the air, but Di Canio was unfazed and poked home into the far corner.

Number 9 – Ravel Morisson (Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 West Ham United – 06/10/13)

West Ham were struggling in the league at this point and looked to be facing an uphill battle to stay in the top-flight. But then out of nowhere this result happened!

After a very late decision to not attend the game and stay and watch the game on T.V. (There was only 1 ticket left available) my friends Craig (a Hammer) and Brian (A Toffee) accompanied me to our local Walkabout bar in Reading.

I wasn’t holding out much hope and was delighted to get to half time at 0-0 and would happily have taken the point at that stage. But then all of a sudden, 13 minutes of madness ensued. Winston Reid put West Ham 1-0 before Ricardo Vaz Te swiftly made it 2-0.

Morrison’s goal was absolutely superb, blazing through the Spurs midfield and defence before delicately chipping the ball over Hugo Lloris and making it 3! We all went absolutely mental, even Brian!

This was such a brilliant game for us, that I’ve included all 3 goals as a bonus!!

Number 8 – Julian Dicks (West Ham United 2-2 Manchester United – 08/12/96)

Definitely my favourite Julian Dicks penalty!

This game happened before the first match I attended in 1997.

West Ham were about to be sucked into a relegation battle, and they’re run of games was not aided by the visit of defending Champions and Champions elect Manchester United.

This game was broadcast on Sky, and as we weren’t allowed it at home (cheers Mum!) me and my Dad used to travel to luckier friend’s houses to watch the games whenever the cameras followed West Ham.

We watched this one at my Dad’s best friend Dave’s house. Dad was very quick to tell me to prepare for defeat. I remember him saying something like “You’re coming to Dave’s with me tonight Tommy, but it’s Manchester United and we’ll lose”

It looked that way when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and David Beckham put United 2-0 up before Florin Raducioiu pulled one back for West Ham. And then all of a sudden, we had a penalty!

Dicks ran up and absolutely thumped the spot kick straight down the middle past Peter Schmeichel. I couldn’t believe how hard Dicks struck the ball, It’s the first penalty of his I’d ever seen. A pitch invasion then ensued and both my Dad and his friend Dave (A Saints fan) went absolutely nuts.

West Ham pushed for a third but it didn’t come, great result and a great memory. The thing that sticks with me about this one is how Dicks manages to beat Schmeichel for pace, even though he strikes it straight down the middle. You’ll find it after 6:38 secs of the following video;

Number 7 – Carlos Tevez (West Ham United 3-4 Tottenham Hotspur 04/03/07)

What a rollercoaster of emotions this game was.

We’d still yet to acquire the services of Sky in our household (cheers Mum!) so on this occasion we visited a man who can only be described as “West Ham Barry”. He used to let us come and watch the games at his house and even left a key for us under the matt, as he was a season ticket holder!

Tevez caused all sorts of controversy during his time at West Ham, (more on that later on) but despite his performances capturing the imagination of the fans, he still hadn’t scored at this point.

This was a must win game for West Ham if they were to have any chance of avoiding relegation.

Noble put the Hammers 1-0 up before Tevez stood over a free-kick just outside the 18 yard box. He curled it over the wall, over Paul Robinson and the ball bounced down off the bar and into the roof of the net.

Chaos ensued!

West Ham went onto to throw the game away, letting their 2-0 lead slip before regaining the advantage from Bobby Zamora. But 2 late goals from Berbatov and Stalteri effectively ended West Ham’s hopes of survival.

But not to worry! The great escape happened!

Here’s the goal!

Number 6 - Bobby Zamora (West Ham United 1-0 Preston North End 30/05/05)

After the desperate disappointment of the previous seasons Play-Off final, West Ham were under a serious amount of pressure to win this game and make their return to the top flight of English Football.

West Ham didn’t turn up in the previous year’s final, a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace which West Ham were expected to coast through. Neil Shipperley of all people made sure that wasn’t the case.

I went to the previous year’s final at Cardiff and was absolutely inconsolable at the final whistle, we’d blown it. So I didn’t want to see the same thing happen again this time.

My view was a lot worse than last year’s seating position, Upper Tier right at the back in the corner. But this would turn out to be a great view of Bobby Zamora’s winner.

Etherington burst down the left and curled in a low cross which Zamora side-footed home on the penalty spot past Carlo Nash.

I’d never seen so many West Ham fans celebrate at once before. It really was a fantastic moment, one of my best as a West Ham fan.

There were nervy moments to follow though, Jimmy Walker clearly claimed the ball outside of the penalty area and twisted his knee. The ref took pity and only booked him. Stephen Bywater, his replacement, fumbled but saved the free-kick and West Ham held on through the 8 minutes of injury time!

Number 5 – Matthew Etherington (West Ham United 2-0 Ipswich Town 18/05/04)

This goal was scored in our unsuccessful Play-Off campaign in 2004, but what a goal it was.

Under the lights at Upton Park, West Ham trailed Ipswich 1-0 after a first leg winner from Darren Bent. It was 0-0 at half-time in the second leg and West Ham needed inspiration!

This game was a school night for me, so we watched the game at Bishopstoke Working Mens Club in Eastleigh where I grew up. It was the scene of many live games for me as a kid and always had a great atmosphere…. And a very nice pool table!

Bobby Zamora had missed a glorious chance in the first half and it was beginning to look like one of those games. That was until Matthew Etherington served up a piece of genius!

He received a short corner from Michael Carrick and raced towards the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a curling shot right into the far corner of Kelvin Davis’ goal. The supporters went mad as Etherington ran off in front of the chicken run, ripping his shirt off. Christian Dailly made it two after controlling with his gonads and poking home through a crowd of players. 2-0 on the night 2-1 on aggregate, and West Ham were off to Cardiff.

Number 4 – Paolo Di Canio (West Ham 2-1 Wimbledon 26/03/00)

I know what you’re thinking, why on earth isn’t this at number 1?

It is without doubt the best goal I have ever seen a West Ham player score, but this was in a pretty meaningless game and there have been so many more important goals than this one.

Our Sky Sports tour of Hampshire had led us to my Auntie Gill’s in Havant, Portsmouth for this game. They had a massive T.V. aswell (sort it out mum!).

I seem to remember this being Freddie Kanoute’s debut and he scored the second in this game.

The goal in question came from absolutely nowhere, Foe had the ball in midfield and squared it to Trevor Sinclair who delivered an absolutely perfect cross-filed ball to Di Canio who rose and fired a scissor kick right into the far side of Neil Sullivan’s goal.

Martin Tyler and Andy Gray, the commentators, went absolutely nuts, I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’d heard Gray’s ‘Take a bow son’ catchphrase.

What an unbelievable goal!

Number 3 – Scott Parker (West Ham 3-2 Wigan Athletic 24/04/10)

The next three beat Di Canio’s effort purely on their importance, but this one is definitely the most impressive of those three.

West Ham were staring relegation in the face after Gianfranco Zola’s first full season in charge of the Hammers, and it was their one shining light, Scott Parker, who almost single handedly kept them in the division.

After falling behind, going in-front and then giving their lead away, 2-2 was not good enough at this stage for the Hammers. That was until Scott Parker picked up a knock-down from Guillermo Franco and rifled a shot from 25 yards out which flew past Chris Kirkland with about 10 minutes to go.

I was sat in the lower tier of the West Stand and the tension was almost as unbearable as those 8 minutes of injury time at Cardiff 5 years before. The crowd went absolutely mad. What a goal, what a moment, up there with the best moments I’ve witnessed at Upton Park.

Unfortunately there is a serious lack of evidence of this goal, so this will have to do.

Parker’s goal is after 6:28 of the video.

Number 2 Carlos Tevez (Manchester United 0-1 West Ham 13/05/07)

Will the argument over Carlos Tevez’s ineligibility ever end?

This goal relegated Sheffield United and they were very quick to take action despite the F.A. having already charged West Ham. But that’s an argument for another day, especially the part where Sheffield United only had to beat Wigan at home to stay up……

Anyway, Tevez had all of a sudden hit a purple patch and had scored some very important goals. This was the most important though.

Just before half time, and after surviving a 44 minutes long cavalry charge from the Champions, Rob Green fired a long ball upfield which Bobby Zamora won. The ball fell to Tevez’s feet, he played a quick one-two with Zamora and slotted under Edwin Van Der Saar after the ball had deflected into the air.

What a finish this was.

I watched this one at West Ham Barry’s. The pressure was too much for some. There were four of us there; Me, my Dad, Matt (A friend we travel to games with) and ofcourse West Ham Barry.

At 1-0 and after seeing that United were bringing on Scholes, Giggs and Ronaldo all at once with well over 30 minutes to play, my Dad stood up and said “Right, that’s it. I can’t take this anymore, I’m off for a drive!” – I was fully expecting the other two to turn round and say “Don’t be silly Alan!” But they both seemed to like that idea and joined him.

I was all alone in West Ham Barry’s house, witnessing Manchester United have shot after shot. It was torture. Somehow West Ham held on!

The boys eventually filtered back without any clue what had happened! Cue wild celebrations!

Then the ice-cream man turned up, and we all ate them in Barry’s kitchen as he didn’t want them dripping on the carpet!

What a day that was!!

Number 1 Ricardo Vaz Te (Blackpool 1-2 West Ham 19/05/12)

As my wife is extremely unlikely to read this article I’ll say this is without doubt the greatest day of my life!

It was the first time I had ever seen West Ham at Wembley, and after two wins by four goals over Blackpool earlier in the season, surely this was going to be a procession. Far from it!

Me, my Dad and another Matt met up in our regular pub we use before games at West Ham, The Kings Arms at Waterloo and made our way towards Wembley. I’ll never forget coming out of Wembley station and seeing a sea of Claret & Blue walking and singing their way up Wembley Way.

The atmosphere was unbelievable! I just can’t describe the feeling.

We had a very similar view as the Preston game at Cardiff, right on the goal line. Blackpool started well and could have gone in front on a number of occasions, Matt Phillips wasting two glorious chances! Matt Taylor then picked the ball up on the left hand touchline and found Carlton Cole with a beautiful long pass. Cole controlled and stuck the ball past Matt Gilks to put us ahead! It’s probably the loudest cheer for a West Ham goal I’d ever hear (to be beaten very soon). West Ham held on until half time and it all started to feel a bit surreal. I remember thinking to myself, “45 minutes and we’re in the Premier League!!”

Those dreams were dashed when Tom Ince equalised with a goal that was almost a carbon copy of Carlton Cole’s in the first half. It was then all Blackpool. I was convinced this wasn’t to be our year.

I couldn’t watch as Blackpool wasted more opportunities. I remember watching a lot of the second half on the big screen as I just couldn’t bare to look. Madness I know.

A cross then came over to Kevin Nolan who stuck the ball so sweetly on the volley, but it cannoned back off the cross bar and away to safety. That was the moment I thought it’s not going to be our year!

Late in to the game and still 1-1, I literally don’t think I could take extra-time and penalties.

But then with 3 minutes to goal, Nolan picked up the ball on the left and side and delivered what in truth was a very average cross. It somehow managed to evade everyone before Cole slid in and rolled to ball to Ricardo Vaz-Te, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net!

I’ve never heard anything like it. It was like a wall of sound hitting you in the face. This moment is so hazy for me, but I’m fairly certain I didn’t celebrate the goal. I just stood there in shock at what I’d just witnessed, and prayed we’d make it to the end! The last 8 minutes seemed like an eternity. I just didn’t know what to do with myself; stay, leave, go for a walk. I was in a really bad way. I started filling up with a minute or so of injury time left, I knew we’d done it by then.

As soon as the final whistle went, I burst into tears and grabbed my dad. You’d struggle to find a dry eye in the West Ham end!

What an adrenaline rush that was and we celebrated well into the night.

What a day! What a day!!