Paul Goddard says the clash with Newcastle at the weekend revives
pleasant memories of an 8-1 win over the same team some 15 years
ago - when he scored for the Hammers while Glenn Roeder scored an
o.g. in a Newcastle shirt!
Alvin Martin famously notched past three different keepers at Upton Park that day - April 21, 1986, and Paul recalls:
"I came off the subs' bench the year we nearly won the title; Frank McAvennie and Tony Cottee didn't score, Glenn scored an own goal, and Peter Beardsley ended up in goal.
"Glenn says if he hadn't have scored the own goal someone would have scored behind him!
"I'm not sure who the first goalkeeper was, but they say Peter Beardsley was the best of all three.
"I must have put mine against Peter because I scored with my first touch after coming on."
It was an excellent season for the Hammers in which they finished third - but Paul was rarely able to break up the McAvennie/Cottee strike partnership.
"It was a fantastic season that year and they carried on scoring goals for fun after I had a dislocated shoulder," he says.
"But the frustration set in the season after as they weren't doing so well and John Lyall still wasn't picking me.
"Newcastle was a sleeping giant when I was up there; football was the be-all and end-all of things.
"They are still not quite up there with the big ones, but the club has got the potential."
Paul is hardly promising a nine goal feast this weekend, but it will be an interesting test for a free scoring Newcastle side to see if they can break down a resolute Hammers defence.
"Hopefully one or two will be back," he says, "and obviously Fredi not having played recently is a massive blow.
"We are very confident we are going to start scoring goals again.
"We have lost out on our home games this season, so straight away there is that little bit more pressure on us, especially as they are on a fantastic run.
"We were well below par last week and it was the first disappointment of the season - plus Reading.
"The game was there to be won, and even playing poorly we gave away two goals.
"Everything seemed buoyant in training after the Reading exit but unfortunately quite a few players never got off the blocks that day.
"We have to make sure that doesn't happen this weekend."
Alvin Martin famously notched past three different keepers at Upton Park that day - April 21, 1986, and Paul recalls:
"I came off the subs' bench the year we nearly won the title; Frank McAvennie and Tony Cottee didn't score, Glenn scored an own goal, and Peter Beardsley ended up in goal.
"Glenn says if he hadn't have scored the own goal someone would have scored behind him!
"I'm not sure who the first goalkeeper was, but they say Peter Beardsley was the best of all three.
"I must have put mine against Peter because I scored with my first touch after coming on."
It was an excellent season for the Hammers in which they finished third - but Paul was rarely able to break up the McAvennie/Cottee strike partnership.
"It was a fantastic season that year and they carried on scoring goals for fun after I had a dislocated shoulder," he says.
"But the frustration set in the season after as they weren't doing so well and John Lyall still wasn't picking me.
"Newcastle was a sleeping giant when I was up there; football was the be-all and end-all of things.
"They are still not quite up there with the big ones, but the club has got the potential."
Paul is hardly promising a nine goal feast this weekend, but it will be an interesting test for a free scoring Newcastle side to see if they can break down a resolute Hammers defence.
"Hopefully one or two will be back," he says, "and obviously Fredi not having played recently is a massive blow.
"We are very confident we are going to start scoring goals again.
"We have lost out on our home games this season, so straight away there is that little bit more pressure on us, especially as they are on a fantastic run.
"We were well below par last week and it was the first disappointment of the season - plus Reading.
"The game was there to be won, and even playing poorly we gave away two goals.
"Everything seemed buoyant in training after the Reading exit but unfortunately quite a few players never got off the blocks that day.
"We have to make sure that doesn't happen this weekend."