Hammers' Christmas Past!

The Christmas fixtures are an important time of year for every club, and one
in which West Ham United have had many ups and downs.

Last year Upton Park saw a thrilling 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Matty
Etherington and Teddy Sheringham had established a 2-0 lead, which was
pegged back before Super-Ted struck a late winner to give everyone some
Christmas cheer.

Following a 2-1 defeat to Ipswich and a 1-1 draw to Fulham, it was the first
Boleyn Christmas win since 2001. That Boxing Day Trevor Sinclair scored with
a sensational over-head-kick to help Hammers on their way to a 4-0 victory.

Sinclair notched the season before at Upton Park on the 26th during a 5-0
thrashing of Charlton along with Paolo Di Canio, Freddie Kanoute and Frank
Lampard.

The Christmas period hasn't always been very kind to the Hammers, and
between 1977 and 1990 we didn't manage a Christmas win. In fact, starting
in 1984 West Ham United lost three years in a row every Boxing Day to Spurs.

In 1990 Trevor Morley and Stuart Slater scored in a 2-0 win over Oldham, and
in 1977 Hammers beat Birmingham 1-0 thanks to Alan Curbishley.

Things were a little better in the 60s and 70s, and the Irons beat Chelsea
4-2 on Boxing Day in 1973. Graham Paddon notched twice along with Bobby
Gould and Trevor Brooking.

Brooking was on the score sheet during a 4-2 Christmas win over Leicester in
1967 in which Brian Dear scored a hat-trick, and the year before Dear struck
with John Sissons, Geoff Hurst and Johnny Byrne against Blackpool.
Unfortunately on Boxing Day 1963 Hammers suffered their record loss - 8-2 at
home to Blackburn Rovers.

The Football League used to schedule fixtures for Christmas Day but stopped
in the 1950's. West Ham's last Christmas Day match was a 2-1 win over Spurs
in 1958. The next day Hammers won 4-1 at White Hart Lane with both Vic
Keeble and John Dick scoring in both matches.

On Christmas Eve, 1955, West Ham defeated Swansea 5-1 with goals from John
Bond, Harry Hooper, Ken Tucker, Billy Dare and Dick again. Dick scored the
only goal in a 1-0 win over Derby on Christmas Day 1954, and the only goal
in a 1-0 win over Luton on Christmas Day 1953.

Three years before Hammers defeated Leeds United on Christmas Day at Upton
Park 3-1, with a hat-trick ironically from a forward called John Woodgate.

In the 1930's it was common for teams to play each other twice in two days
over the Christmas holidays. So in 1934 we visited Bury on Christmas Day
with them coming down to Upton Park for a Boxing Day match.

Jimmy Ruffell and Vic Watson bagged six goals between them over the two days
during a 4-2 away win and a 3-0 home win, with Jimmy Wood grabbing the
other.

Hammers' Christmas Day record win was 5-0 against Stoke in 1912. Danny Shea,
Frank Denyer, William Askew and Herbert Ashton were amongst the goals.

The first 25th of December match as West Ham United was a 2-1 loss to
Southampton in 1902, but the Thames Iron Works did play fixtures on
Christmas Day as well.

They actually beat South West Ham 4-1 in 1895!