A Pictorial History
FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES
WEST HAM UNITED
Steve Marsh & Stuart Allen
Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved
1962-63 Football Combination (Saturday Section)
NOTTINGHAM FOREST : Football Combination
Upton Park
16 February 1963
(Rare programme)
BRISTOL ROVERS : Football Combination
LEICESTER CITY : Football Combination
NOTTS COUNTY : Football Combination
NORWICH CITY : Football Combination
COLCHESTER UNITED : Football Combination
NOTTS COUNTY : Football Combination
ARSENAL : Football Combination
SHREWSBURY TOWN : Football Combination
IPSWICH TOWN : Football Combination
IPSWICH TOWN : Football Combination
LUTON TOWN : Football Combination
NORTHAMPTON TOWN : Football Combination
NORTHAMPTON TOWN : Football Combination
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE : Football Combination
PETERBOROUGH UNITED : Football Combination
NOTTINGHAM FOREST : Football Combination
Eastville
0 - 2
19 January 1963
Dickie
Presland
Burkett
Bovington
Bickles
Charles J.
Brabrook
Moore
Hurst
Sissons
Crawford
Filbert Street
6 - 3 (Schumann 3, Dear, Hugo, Hurst)
2 March 1963
Rhodes
Presland
Lyall
Dawkins
Bickles
Charles J.
Dear
Hugo
Hurst
Schumann
Crawford
Upton Park
11 - 0 (Hurst 5, Hugo 2, Sissons 2, Crawford, Peters)
9 March 1963
Rhodes
Bond
Presland
Dawkins
Bickles
Peters
Dear
Hurst
Hugo
Sissons
Crawford
Carrow Road
2 - 3 (Britt 2)
16 March 1963
Rhodes
Presland
Bond
Peters
Bickles
Charles J.
Dear
Hugo
Britt
Sissons
Dryden
Upton Park
5 - 2 (Sissons 2, Britt, Dryden, Hugo)
23 March 1963
Dickie
Presland
Lyall
Peters
Bond
Charles J.
Dear
Hugo
Britt
Sissons
Dryden
Meadow Lane
2 - 2 (Britt, Dear)
28 March 1963
Dickie
Burnett
Presland
Dawkins
Bond
Charles J.
Dear
Hugo
Britt
Sissons
Dryden
Highbury
1 - 3 (Charles)
30 March 1963
Rhodes
Presland
Bond
Dawkins
Lansdowne
Charles J.
Dear
Hugo
Britt
Sissons
Dryden
Upton Park
2 - 1 (Dear, Lyall)
6 April 1963
Rhodes
Presland
Lyall
Dawkins
Bond
Charles J.
Dear
Hugo
Britt
Sissons
Dryden
Upton Park
3 - 0 (Dear, Dryden, Hurst [pen])
8 April 1963
Rhodes
Presland
Lyall
Dawkins
Lansdowne
Howe
Dear
Bennett
Hurst
Hugo
Dryden
Portman Road
1 - 1 (Bond)
12 April 1963
Dickie
Presland
Lyall
Bovington
Bickles
Dawkins
Dear
Bennett
Bond
Dryden
Hugo
Kenilworth Road
0 - 0
17 April 1963
Rhodes
Burnett
Lyall
Dawkins
Bond
Howe
Redknapp
Bennett
Dear
Hugo
Dryden
County Ground
1 - 3 (Bond [pen])
20 April 1963
Dickie
Presland
Lyall
Dawkins
Bickles
Howe
Dryden
Bennett
Bond
Hugo
Dear
Upton Park
8 - 0 (Dear 2, Hugo 2, Harvey, Lyall, Moore, Sealey)
24 April 1963
Leslie
Bond
Lyall
Bovington
Lansdowne
Bickles
Dear
Hugo
Sealey
Moore
Harvey
Upton Park
2 - 0 (Dear, Scott)
29 April 1963
Leslie
Bond
Lyall
Bovington
Lansdowne
Bickles
Scott
Hugo
Dear
Byrne
Harvey
Upton Park
4 - 0 (Sealey 2, Dear, Hurst)
6 May 1963
Rhodes
Presland
Bond
Bovington
Bickles
Dawkins
Dear
Hugo
Sealey
Hurst
Dryden
Upton Park
2 - 2 (Dear, Hugo)
13 May 1963
Rhodes
Kirkup
Presland
Bovington
Bickles
Charles J.
Scott
Hugo
Dear
Barrett
Lyall
MATCH POSTPONED
Snow : rearranged for 13 May 1963
The Leicester game was our second-string's first match since January 19th, and they showed their eagerness to return to the fray by gaining a 3-2 half-time lead arid then dominating the second half to make it 6-3 at the final whistle.
Brian Rhodes returned to the team after the shoulder injury which has kept him out for some weeks, and Trevor Dawkins made his Combination debut. A very good display of team-work was responsible for our heavy victory, and it would be unfair to select any individual for particular praise.
We met another lowly-placed team when Notts County Reserves visited us, and once again it is unfair to praise any particular player in a side that had no difficulty in netting eleven times without reply. However, it is worth noting that Geoff Hurst scored five times, and others who found the net were Roger Hugo (2), John Sissons (2), Brian Dear and Martin Peters. Peters was making his re-appearance after injury and we were very pleased with the manner in which he came through the test.
The Canaries took an early lead, but Martin Britt levelled the scores before the home side scored again. We then sustained a further blow when Dave Bickles hurt his leg just before half-time, which meant a reshuffling of the line-up ; John Bond took over Bickles' centre-half position, Martin Peters went to full-back and Roger Hugo occupied the right-half spot. Before we settled down Norwich made it 3-1, but in a late rally Britt got his second, this again being " laid on " by Brian Dear.
Making his Combination debut was 17-year-old John Dryden, who has been scoring well in our Youth Team this season ; he did quite well, and we kept him in the side for the next game.
John Sissons got our first goal and assisted in the second which was netted by Roger Hugo ; the visitors scored right on half-time to make it 2-1. In the second half Sissons got another, and Martin Britt and John Dryden added further goals before Colchester scored again just before the final whistle to bring a 5-2 result in our favour. There was plenty of good football from our youngsters, and it was indeed a pleasure to watch their performance.
Dennis Burnett made his Combination debut in a young-looking lineup that included many of our Youth Cup team, and once again our talent created a good impression. We were two goals down in the first half, but Brian Dear reduced our arrears before the interval and Martin Britt levelled the scores after the resumption to force a 2-2 draw.
We had a fair first half until the Gunners got on top in the period immediately before the interval during which they gained a 2-0 lead. A further success in the second half put the home side in a strong position, and although we reduced our arrears through a goal by John Charles after a good move it ended at 3-1 down for us. The play of our wing-halves earned a lot of praise, and young Trevor Dawkins in particular showed how quickly he can settle down in a higher class of competition.
A useful-looking Shrewsbury side (including ex-Leicester City player Derek Hines) took the lead through an "own goal," but we levelled the scores before half-time when Johnny Lyall came upfield to connect with Brian Dear's centre close in. Dear was having a good game, and he got the winning goal in the second half as he cut inside and hit a "pile-driver" with his left-foot from about 25 yards. Trevor Dawkins and John Charles again gained much credit at wing-half.
Two more of our Colts - Peter Bennett and Bobby Howe - made their Combination debut in this re-arranged fixture, and they both did very well.
We gained a fairly easy 3-0 victory, changing over one goal up at half-time. Our scorers were John Dryden, Geoff Hurst (from a penalty) and Brian Dear.
A goal by John Bond put us into a 1-0 lead, but we should have added another goal or two before the interval. Unfortunately we missed our opportunities and the Town came back in the second half to gain an equaliser and share the points. Alan Dickie did well in our goal and our half-back line also showed up pretty well, while Peter Bennett also made a pleasing Combination debut.
Continuing with the policy of bringing our apprentices into a higher grade we included Harry Redknapp for the first time in the Combination team. This XI therefore had no less than six of our Youth Cup team in the line-up, and against well-seasoned opposition they did extremely well to force a goalless draw. Redknapp in particular showed himself to advantage with a clever display on the right-wing, and combined well with his young colleagues. Mention should also be made of Brian Rhodes, who put on a sound display between the sticks.
After a goalless first half we went ahead through a penalty successfully taken by John Bond. This lead, unfortunately, did not last for long, and before the final whistle the Cobblers had fought back to gain a 3-1 victory. We had our chances to win but failed to accept the opportunities when they arose.
Of our side Bobby Howe caught the eye with a good showing in an XI which played reasonably well but failed to take advantage at a vital stage.
As our Colts had a game on the following day some of our seniors volunteered to " deputise " in their positions in the Reserves, and in addition we gave Lawrie Leslie his first game in the Combination side since his return from injury.
The line-up thus proved much too strong for the opposition, and we had ample " revenge " for our defeat at the hands of the same club four days earlier, as we won by 8-0 after being five up at half-time. Our scorers were Brian Dear (2), Roger Hugo (2), Brian Harvey, John Lyall. Bobby Moore and Alan Sealey.
This re-arranged fixture against Plymouth Argyle proved a most entertaining one with some very good football. Tony Scott got our first goal in the twelfth minute and Brian Dear added one in the second half to make the final margin 2-0 in our favour. It could have been more as we missed a penalty, but in general the score fairly reflected the exchanges.
The Peterborough United team which was notified to us by telephone earlier in the day showed no less than eleven changes, as one of their office-staff had given us the First XI line-up which was actually playing at Southend in a League game on the same evening; we express regrets to those who were inconvenienced through this error.
The game itself proved to be a comfortable victory for the Hammers, as we netted four times without reply to become the first of the competitors in the Combination to reach a century of goals this season. The opening pair came before the interval through Alan Sealey and Brian Dear who hit a real "blaster", but it was not until the last five minutes or so that Sealey got his second and Geoff Hurst the other.
Another incident during the game was that the referee sustained a pulled muscle, which necessitated nun handing over the whistle to one of his linesmen during the second half.
The first half was not very interesting, and we deserved to be one goal down at the interval. However, upon resuming, we got away from Forest's man-to-man marking and goals by Roger Hugo and Brian Dear put us ahead; Dear was also unfortunate when he hit the bar, and had we maintained this style we might well have gained full spoils. Brian Rhodes was meanwhile playing well to keep the Forest at bay, but they finally got another one past him to bring a final result of 2-2.
