The newly-published Nearly Reached the Sky is a modern-day history
of West Ham United Football Club.
Having written for Hammers News Magazine for nearly two decades,
Steve Blowers has left no stone unturned in his intriguing view of
events at Upton Park from the moment when John Lyall left in June
1989 through to the sensational 2005 play-off final victory over
Preston North End.
Embarking on a comprehensive, memory-jogging, see-saw journey
across some 200 players, six managers, three promotions, two
relegations and a European sojourn, the 336-page Nearly Reached the
Sky weaves together the observations of all the major characters
and commentators during those 16 seasons.
With Roy Carroll battling for fitness ahead of this weekend's
trip to Manchester City, Blowers looks back to the 1995-96 campaign
when Hammers - minus their senior goalkeepers - went into their
Premiership clash at Maine Road, struggling to fill the void
between the sticks...
Les Sealey headed north for the New Year's Day game at
Manchester City all set to make his goalkeeping debut, deputising
for the suspended Ludek Miklosko, who had been sent off in his
160th consecutive appearance for the club for bringing down Daniel
Amokachi at Everton before Christmas.
But training just 24 hours before kick-off, the veteran stand-in
ripped a calf muscle.
Having recently sold understudy Ian Feuer to Luton Town, Harry
Redknapp's desperate attempts to by-pass the Premier
League's 48-hour registration rule fell on deaf ears, and that
meant an emergency call-up for youth-team 'keeper Neil Finn.
Ivana Miklosko hastily sewed a '3' onto one of hubby
Ludo's Number One shirts and started stitching on the name
'THINN' before being corrected and sending out the
Hammers' No 31 with the right identity thus saving the Club a
£250 fine from the men in suits for breaching their tough kit
regulations.
"There was no problem getting a goalkeeper. Everyone wanted to
help," insisted Redknapp after the 17-year, three-days-old YTS
trainee became the Premiership's youngest-ever player in a 1-2
defeat at Maine Road that saw Iain Dowie score for the Hammers.
"But the fella at the Premier League was out playing golf and
when we finally caught up with him he must have missed a few putts,
because he said we couldn't have anybody. I didn't want
David Seaman or Tim Flowers and I can't believe they
couldn't have shown some common sense."
Finn was soon to discover that those 90 minutes of fame would be
followed by two years back in the youth team, ahead of a free
transfer to Dorchester Town in Spring 1998.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the experience scale, Redknapp moved
to sign goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton, who had been on loan at
Coventry City. The 125 times-capped Shilts had 1380 appearances to
his name including 997 league outings.
Nearly Reached the Sky (r.r.p. £9.99) is available in the club
store or via mail order direct from the publishers - Football World
(01708-744333).
Keeping It Clean At Manchester City
13th October 2005