Publisher's Synopsis
The highlights have been few and far between for West Ham United's long suffering fans over the years. Three FA Cup wins (in 1964, 1975 and 1980) a European Cup Winners' Cup victory in 1965; various other cup runs that failed on the verge of success, and of course the enjoyment of watching great players such as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Johnny Byrne, Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds. Throughout the 45 seasons the East London club has spent in the top flight of English football, the prospect of challenging for the League Championship title has been more than a pipe dream. Except for one year: 1985-86. A 16th place finish in 1984-5 had hardly filled Hammers' fans with high optimism for the coming campaign, and the loss of young star Paul Allen to arch London rivals for Tottnham Hotspur had some supporters questioning the ambition of the club. What a shock they were in for. Little did he kow it at the time, but manager John Lyall's summer purchases of young unknown Scottish striker Frank McAvennie from St Mirren for 340, 000 and diminutive winger Mark Ward for Oldham Athletic for 275, 000, were the final pieces in a jigsaw that fell into place spectacularly to provide West Ham fans with a campaign they would never forget.
