On This Day - 31 January

Classic Match

West Ham United 3-2 Coventry City
Premier League
Wednesday 31 January 1996

Frank Lampard made his West Ham United debut in a thrilling home Premier League win over Coventry City on 31 January 1996. The son of the former Hammers left-back with the same name, midfielder Frank was just 17 when he turned out against the Sky Blues in a five-goal classic at the Boleyn Ground.

The teenager was sent on as a substitute for John Moncur, having recently returned from a successful loan spell at Swansea City. West Ham triumphed through goals from Tony Cottee, Marc Reiper and Iain Dowie, while Noel Whelan and Dion Dublin were on target for the visitors in front of an 18,884-strong crowd.

Lampard would go on to make his full debut in a 2-0 Premier League defeat at Arsenal in August 1996. He totalled 187 first-team appearances for the club, scoring 38 goals, before joining Chelsea for £11m in summer 2001.

Anniversary

Rufus Brevett
Born: 24 September 1969, Derby, England

Left-back Rufus Brevett joined West Ham United on 31 January 2003 with the aim of boosting the club's attempts to avoid relegation from the Premier League. An experienced campaigner with Doncaster Rovers, Queens Park Rangers and Fulham, Brevett was 33 when he moved to the Boleyn Ground for an undisclosed fee.

Unfortunately, despite Brevett producing some typically energetic performances, West Ham were relegated with a record-high 42 points at the end of the 2002/03 season. After spells with Plymouth Argyle, Leicester City and Oxford United, the defender retired in 2007.

Since then, Brevett has forged a career in the media and is a regular visitor to the Boleyn Ground as a commentator for BBC London.