Whatever someone else may tell you, West Ham United are by no stretch of the imagination of any consequence to a fair-minded Shrimpers supporter. Whilst Colchester United will always remain our one true enemy (and Canvey Island could run them close if they manage promotion to the Football League), the East London club remain nothing but slightly distant rivals, with three-quarters of the length of the A13 between the two sides.
Whilst Leyton Orient, and to a lesser extent, Cambridge United, who came to Roots Hall on Saturday afternoon for a goalless draw, can be said to be means to an end in their relative locality to Southend by League Two’s convoluted system of local derbies with United having to travel to faraway lands (such as Wales!), the Hammers have barely even been in the same division as ourselves. In fact, only once since Southend were admitted to the League in 1920, and that was in 1992/3 when the Shrimpers had scaled the heights of the brand spanking new Division One (even that’s changed now – it’s The Championship).
However, that is not to say that one particular meeting does not stand out that year. Wednesday 7th April 1993 has been dubbed by many St. Angell’s Day – one Stanley Victor Collymore wrecked havoc amongst the West Ham defence, but it was Brett Angell, his lanky strike partner, who netted to hand Blues a 1-0 win, and inspire Barry Fry’s side to stave off what had seemed like certain relegation. Earlier that year a trip to the Boleyn Ground spawned a 2-0 defeat. The rest of the two side’s meetings have come in cup competitions.
The last time the two clubs met was in another cup-tie, when Blues were drawn away to the Hammers for an FA Cup third round clash in January 1996. Unfortunately, the result was not the one that the visitors desired, a 2-0 defeat in front of barely 23,000 signalling the end, at the first attempt for the third year in a row, of Southend Cup aspirations.
Interestingly, the previous knock-out clash in that League season of ‘92/’93 had come in September. It was not one that United (the southeast Essex variety) would like to remember as they lost an Anglo-Italian Cup Preliminary Round game 3-0 in front of 6,482 at Roots Hall.
It was only the second time the sides had met in Southend, the previous being in tomorrow’s competition – the League Cup - during 1979. It took three attempts for West Ham to come through a gruelling series of encounters; the first ended 1-1, with Ron Pountney on target for the Shrimpers. After a goalless game at the Hall, ex-Huddersfield Town forward Terry Gray was the only man on target for Southend as they crashed 5-1 back at Upton Park.
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com