Classic Match

Leeds United 1-2 West Ham United
Division Two
29 January 1921

West Ham United were in just their second season as a Football League club when they travelled to Leeds United on this date in 1921. The Hammers sat fifth in the table as they made the long journey north to Elland Road, and the confident mood drawn from a 1-0 home win over Clapton Orient the previous weekend led to another impressive victory.

George Carter and Syd Puddefoot (pictured) were the goalscorers as West Ham scored the first of two wins over Leeds in the space of eight days. The Yorkshire club visited the Boleyn Ground the following Saturday, 5 February, and the home side ran out comfortable 3-0 winners - with Puddefoot netting a hat-trick,

West Ham would end the 1920/21 season fifth in the table, while Leeds would finish 14th.

Anniversary

Frank Richardson
Born: 29 January 1897, Barking, England

A forward born just a few short miles from West Ham United in Barking, Frank Richardson began his career at local club Barking Town before making the switch to Plymouth Argyle in 1921. There, the frontman enjoyed a prolific couple of years, scoring 37 goals in just 63 league appearances.

Richardson's form for the Devon club caught the eye of Stoke City, who signed him up in 1922. After a single campaign in the Potteries, the Hammers brought him back to his native East End in 1923. After scoring on his second appearance in a 4-1 Division One victory over Birmingham City at the Boleyn Ground on 3 November 1923, Richardson went on to play eleven times for West Ham during the 1923/24 season.

A second and final goal arrived in a 1-1 Division One draw at Aston Villa on Christmas Day 1923, but it would not be long before Richardson was on the move again, joining Swindon Town in early 1924. He rediscovered his goalscoring touch at Swindon, netting 45 goals in 91 league games in two spells. In between, he managed 44 goals in the same number of league matches with Reading between 1925 and 1929.

Richardson retired in 1931 after a short spell with Mansfield Town. He passed away in May 1987 at the age of 90.