On This Day: 20 February
Anniversary
Name: Billy Jennings
Date of birth: 20 February 1952
Clubs: Watford, West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Luton Town
Born in Hackney on 20 February 1952, Billy Jennings (pictured) started out his professional career at Watford in 1970, scoring more than 30 goals over the next four years and earning England youth international honours.
In the summer of 1974, speedy striker Jennings would make a £110,000 switch across London to West Ham United, making a goalscoring debut on 7 September in a 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United in Division One. It was the start of a relatively brief yet successful career with the Hammers.
At the end of the 1974/75 season, Jennings would pick up an FA Cup winners medal, despite the embarrassment of scoring an own-goal in the semi-final replay victory over Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge. The following campaign, 1975/76, he would score twice at the right end as West Ham fought back from 4-0 down at one stage to beat Den Haag on away goals to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Jennings would go on to make at total of 127 league and cup appearances for the club, scoring 41 goals. However, a serious achilles tendon injury suffered in September 1977 put him out of action for a year and, on his return, he would play just six matches before moving to Leyton Orient. Since his retirement, Jennings has forged a successful career as a football agent.
Classic Match
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
League Division One
20 February 1971
West Ham United welcomed Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground just one place above the top flight relegation zone in the 1970/71 campaign.
The Hammers never dropped below the line and into the bottom two all season, but they were hovering dangerously, so the point gained from this 0-0 draw was most welcome.
30,168 were in attendance in east London to watch a West Ham side including the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Harry Redknapp bounce back from a 1-0 defeat suffered at Liverpool in their previous game.
Burnley and Blackpool were eventually cut adrift in the drop zone, with the former finishing seven points behind the Hammers and four above rock-bottom Blackpool. Manchester City enjoyed slightly more success that term, ending the campaign safely in mid-table in 11th place.
Complete record - 20 February
2010 West Ham United 3-0 Hull City (Premier League)
1999 Liverpool 2-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
1982 Southampton 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 West Ham United 0-0 Manchester CIty (Division One)
1965 Sunderland 3-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1960 West Ham United 3-5 Newcastle United (Division One)
1958 Leyton Orient 1-4 West Ham United (Division Two)
1954 West Ham United 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Division Two)
1937 Plymouth Argyle 2-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1932 West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool (Division One)
1930 Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United (Division One)
Played 11, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 4, Scored 19, Conceded 17
