West Ham United celebrates its 125th anniversary on 29 June – and as part of our celebrations we're counting down to the date with the Club’s #50GreatestMatches – brought to you by Monster Energy!
Since the Hammers were formed as Thames Ironworks FC in 1895, we have played in excess of 5,500 matches – reaching five FA Cup finals - and one women's FA Cup final, lifting European silverware and competing across the globe and enjoying thousands of memorable moments.
With your help and recommendations, we've whittled down that list of 5,500 matches to a top 50, featuring landmark goals, trophies held aloft, heroic individual performances and remarkable collective efforts.
We continue the #50GreatestMatches countdown with a Club-record win...
West Ham United had plenty of motivation when Rotherham United visited east London on 8 March 1958.
Ted Fenton’s Hammers were top of the Second Division table and had won their previous three matches, defeating Leyton Orient, Bristol City and Doncaster Rovers, prior to taking to the pitch to face the struggling Millers.
As such, it was no surprise to anyone inside the Boleyn Ground that West Ham proved too strong for the opponents, but nobody in the 25,040 crowd would have expected the home side score eight goals without reply!
The strike partners each scored twice in the opening half, with winger Malcolm Musgrove running riot, before Smith and Dick then set one another up for goals number five and six after half-time.
Bill Lansdowne set up seventh for Smith before the three goalscorers combined for Dick to score his fourth, and West Ham’s eighth, past stunned Rotherham goalkeeper Jock Quairney.
It was a personal triumph for Dick, who had scored eight goals in each of the previous two seasons but was in the midst of a breakout campaign in Claret and Blue, with 26 goals to his name.
In the stands, the record-breaking win was watched by captain Malcolm Allison, who was making his return to Upton Park, six months after being diagnosed with tuberculosis and undergoing emergency surgery.
West Ham would go on to win eleven of their final 17 league matches, score 101 goals in total, clinch the title on the final day of the season and secure promotion back to the First Division after a 26-year absence.
