April 25 - May 1

Take a look back at the week that saw Vic Watson score a hat-trick for 42 league goals, and the goal from Geoff Hurst that saved us from relegation.

April 25

1978 - David Cross's double strike gave the Hammers a 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough that kept their slim hopes of survival in the top flight alive. The Hammers would have to win their final match of the season against Liverpool four days later to avoid second division football.

April 26

1930 - Vic Watson's hat-trick in 3-2 win at Aston Villa took him to 42 league goals for the season - the highest ever by a West Ham player in one campaign. Watson failed to score in only 11 of the 42 league matches that season.

1958 - The Hammers secured the Second Division Championship with a 3-1 win at Middlesbrough on the final day of the season. Goals from Malcolm Musgrove and strike duo John Dick and Vic Keeble - who scored a total of 40 league goals between them that season - wrapped up the title. The triumphant squad and their manager Ted Fenton were greeted by hundreds of delighted Hammers fans when their train arrived back in London later that night.

April 27

1971 - A 2-1 win over Southampton at The Dell made sure that the Hammers stayed in the top flight. Goals from Tommy Taylor and Geoff Hurst secured victory and, despite finishing third from bottom, the Hammers escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth.

April 28

1923 - The Hammers faced Bolton Wanderers in our first-ever FA Cup Final - and also the first to be played at the brand new Wembley Stadium. The clamour to be present at English football's biggest sporting event in the history of the game so far was immense and resulted in an estimated 250,000 supporters trying to squeeze into the 120,000 capacity stadium. The game was delayed for long periods because of supporters spilling on to the pitch and only the intervention of famous white horse Billie allowed the match to continue. The Hammers eventually lost 2-0.

April 29

1978 - On the last day of the 1977-78 season, Hammers required a point from their home match against Liverpool to ensure survival in the First Division. Despite having won six of their previous eight matches, the team's poor early-season form provided too high an obstacle to overcome and a 2-0 defeat against the Reds sent the Hammers into the Second Division for the first time since 1957.

April 30

1986 - A 2-1 win in the last home game of the season against Ipswich kept the Hammers' title hopes alive as they entered the final weekend of the season. After Ipswich had taken a shock lead, Alan Dickens levelled the scores with a delightful chip, before Mark Ward went down in the area under the challenge of Terry Butcher in the final minutes and referee Gerald Ashby pointed to the spot. Ray Stewart rammed home the kick to send 31,000 Hammers fans into ecstasy, while Butcher was later punished for kicking the referee's dressing-room door in.

May 1

1999 - Referee Rob Harris became the curse of Upton Park as he sent off THREE players in one match against Leeds United. Ian Wright, Steve Lomas and Shaka Hislop were all given their marching orders as the Hammers crashed to a 5-1 defeat against their Yorkshire rivals. Wright's response to his early dismissal was to trash the referee's dressing-room, resulting in a fine for the former England striker.