Anniversary
Dylan Tombides
Date of birth: 8 March 1994
National team: Australia U17, U22
Clubs: West Ham United
Dylan Tombides, whose prodigious talents saw him sign for West Ham in 2008, lost his brave three-year battle with testicular cancer in April 2014, would be celebrating his 21st birthday today.
A hugely popular figure among his team-mates, coaches, backroom staff, supporters and opponents alike, the Australia U22 international was loved and respected throughout the football community for his talent, his smile and his spirit.
Dylan Tombides was born in the city of Perth in Western Australia. As a youngster, he played football before moving with his family to Hong Kong.
The amiable Australian joined West Ham United at the age of 15 after being spotted playing youth football in Hong Kong and his family moved with him to London to help him fulfil his ambition of playing professional football.
After impressing at Under-18 and reserve-team levels, Tombides was included in the first-team squad for the first time when he was named as an unused substitute for the Barclays Premier League home fixture with Sunderland on 22 May 2011. The same month, he was named Academy Player of the Year.
Tombides appeared and scored for Australia at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Mexico in June 2011. Illness curtailed the striker's progress during the 2011/12 season, but his first-team debut arrived as a late substitute in the 4-1 home Capital One Cup third-round defeat by Wigan Athletic on 25 September 2012.
Tombides represented Australia in the U22 AFC Championship where he helped the Socceroos reach the quarter-finals before they were defeated 2-1 by Saudi Arabia.
The DT38 foundation, which aims to raise awareness support and awareness for testicular cancer, was launched earlier this month.
Classic Match
West Ham United 2-0 Southampton
Premier League
8 March 2000
West Ham and Southampton met at the Boleyn Ground only four games after the Saints had recorded a 2-1 triumph in the reverse fixture at The Dell.
Frank Lampard had netted in that defeat, but on this occasion Trevor Sinclair and Paulo Wanchope stepped up with the telling contributions in a solid home win.
The result took the Hammers up to ninth, the position they would end the season in, six places above the Saints.
Complete record - 8 March
1924 West Ham United 1-1 Notts County (Division One)
1930 West Ham United 3-2 Arsenal (Division One)
1952 West Ham United 0-1 Birmingham City (Division Two)
1958 West Ham United 8-0 Rotherham United (Division Two)
1969 Nottingham Forest 0-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1995 Newcastle United 2-0 (Premier League)
1998 Arsenal 1-1 West Ham United (FA Cup sixth round)
2000 West Ham United 2-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Played 8, Won 4, Drawn 2, Lost 2, Scored 16, Conceded 7