WEST HAM UNITED
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All rights reserved
FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES
A Pictorial History
Steve Marsh & Stuart Allen
Postponed & Abandoned ...
1968-69 to 1993-94
1968-69
ARSENAL (First XI)
28 December 1968
Upton Park - Icy Weather
Rearranged: 21 April 1969
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (First XI)
18 January 1969
Upton Park - Unplayable Pitch
Rearranged: 24 March 1969
MANSFIELD TOWN (FA Cup 5th Round)
8 February 1969
Field Mill - Pitch unplayable - snow
Rearranged: 12 February 1969
MANSFIELD TOWN (FA Cup 5th Round)
12 February 1969
Field Mill - Pitch unplayable - snow
Rearranged: 24 February 1969
MANSFIELD TOWN (FA Cup 5th Round)
24 February 1969
Field Mill - Pitch unplayable - snow
Rearranged: 26 February 1969 (Original match programme of 8 February re-issued)
ORIENT (South East Counties League : London Youth Cup)
19 February 1969 - Waterlogged pitch
Rearranged: 3 March 1969
STEVENAGE ATHLETIC (Metropolitan League)
22 February 1969
Broadhall Way - Waterlogged pitch
Rearranged: 4 April 1969
Icy conditions were responsible for the postponements to these two fixtures at Upton Park
The FA Cup 5th round tie against Mansfield Town was called off three times because of snow.
The Hammers eventually losing the tie 3-0 to the Third Division side
1969-70
COVENTRY CITY (First XI)
7 February 1970
Upton Park - Continual rain
Rearranged 11 February 1970
The Coventry City match was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday 7 February 1970 but was Postponed due to continual rain.
The fixture was re-arranged and played 4 days later on Wednesday 11 February 1970. The original Saturday programme was re-issued on the 11th February as they were already printed.
An additional 200 programmes bearing the date the game took place Wednesday 11 February were printed and distributed to dignitaries, guests and the media only. These rare are highly sort after and command hugh prices at auction.
1970-71
SWANSEA CITY (Reserves)
21 November 1970
Upton Park - Continual rain
Rearranged 23rd January 1971
NOTTINGHAM FOREST (First XI)
26 December 1970
Upton Park - Tempertures dropped and the pitch became frozen
after receiving a dusting of snow
Rearranged 24 February 1971
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (Reserves)
26 December 1970
White Hart Lane - Snow on pitch
Rearranged 22nd February 1971 (Wrongly dated 1970)
COVENTRY CITY (First XI)
30 January 1971
Highfield Road - Pitch declared unfit
Rearranged 9 February 1971 (Original match programme re-issued)
1971-72
NORWICH CITY (Reserves)
8 January 1972
Upton Park - Poor pitch conditions
Rearranged 2 May 1972
COVENTRY CITY (First XI)
7 March 1972
Highfield Road - Delay in lifting floodlight restrictions due to miner's strikes
Rearranged 21 March 1972
1972-73
AFC BOURNEMOUTH (Reserves)
9 December 1972
Upton Park - Ground conditions
Rearranged: 17 April 1973
1973-74
CARDIFF CITY (Reserves)
9 February 1974
Upton Park - Pitch unplayable due to heavy rain
Rearranged: 22 April 1974
1976-77
BIRMINGHAM CITY (Reserves)
13 November 1976
Upton Park - Heavy rain on pitch
Rearranged: 23 February 19777 at Chadwell Heath No Programme Issued
DERBY COUNTY (First XI)
11 December 1976
Baseball Ground - Unfit Pitch
Rearranged: 20 April 1977
COVENTRY CITY (First XI)
29 December 1976
Upton Park - Frost on pitch
Rearranged: 4 May 1977
QUEENS PARK RANGERS (First XI)
15 January 1977
Loftus Road - Ground Conditions
Rearranged: 4 April 1977
Frost and Ground Conditions caused these postponments
1977-78
NORWICH CITY (Reserves) No Programme Issued
20 August 1977
Carrow Road - Norwich City injury crisis - no players available
Rearranged: 31 August 1977
LEICESTER CITY (Reserves)
22 August 1977
Upton Park - Rained off
Rearranged: 24 October 1977
SOUTHAMPTON (Reserves) No Programme Issued
3 September 1977
Upton Park - Shortage of players
Rearranged: 29 October 1977
QUEENS PARK RANGERS (First XI)
4 February 1978
Loftus Road - Reason Unfit pitch due to continual rain for several days
Rearranged: 14 March 1978 (Single Issue)
OXFORD UNITED (Reserves)
4 February 1978
Upton Park - Unfit pitch
Rearranged: 18 April 1978
For the second year running the first team fixture at Loftus Road was postponed
1978-79
BRISTOL ROVERS (Reserves)
9 December 1978
Upton Park - Unfit Ground
Rearranged: 1 May 1979 (Played at Chadwell Heath) No Programme Issued
LUTON TOWN (First XI)
23 December 1978
Kenilworth Road - Pitch like a Skating Rink
Rearranged: 26 February 1979
BURNLEY (First XI)
13 January 1979
Upton Park - Icy Patches on Pitch
Rearranged: 24 April 1979
SHEFFIELD UNITED (First XI)
3 February 1979
Bramall Lane - Unfit Pitch
Rearranged: 2 April 1979 (Supplement)
MILLWALL (First XI)
17 February 1979
The Den - Icy Conditions
Rearranged: 14 May 1979 (Supplement)
EARLY POSTPONEMENT
Thanks to the co-operation of referee Mr. Derek Civil, the Hammers avoided an unnecessary journey to Luton. Mr. Civil made an early inspection of the pitch at Kenilworth Road, of which (to quote a Hatters' official) "half the pitch was like a skating rink."
John Lyall's immediate response at 9.45 a.m. was: "Well, I'll have to take them out for some training, instead! . . . and he did ! The squad also had a session on Christmas Day.
1979-80
BRISTOL ROVERS (Reserves)
15 December 1979
Upton Park - Unfit due to heavy rain
Rearranged: 25 February 1980
BIRMINGHAM CITY (First XI)
26 December 1979
Upton Park - Bad Weather Conditions
Rearranged: 22 April 1980
OLDHAM ATHLETIC (First XI)
29 December 1979
Boundary Park - Bad Weather Conditions
Rearranged: 29 April (Supplement)
SUNDERLAND (First XI)
2 February 1980
Roker Park - Bad Weather Conditions
Rearranged: 12 May 1980
NORWICH CITY (South East Counties League Div I)
2 February 1980
Trowse Training Ground - Bad Weather Conditions
This was a double header game, Norwich also played Bristol Rovers Reserves on the same day, that game went ahead. West Ham's SECL fixture didn't.
Rearranged: 8 March 1980
1980-81
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (First XI)
25 April 1981
Hillsborough - Snow
Rearranged: 8 May 1981 (Supplement)
Snow in April !!!
1981-82
MANCHESTER UNITED (First XI)
12 December 1981
Old Trafford - Adverse Weather Conditions
Rearranged: 27 Janaury 1982 (Supplement)
WOLVERHAMPRON WANDERERS (First XI)
19 December 1981
Upton Park - Adverse Weather Conditions
Rearranged: 6 April 1982
SWANSEA CITY (First XI)
26 December 1981
Vetch Field - Adverse Weather Conditions
Rearranged: 30 March 1982 (Supplement)
IPSWICH TOWN (First XI)
28 December 1981
Upton Park - Adverse Weather Conditions
Rearranged: 2 March 1982
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (First XI)
9 January 1982
Upton Park - Adverse Weather Conditions
Rearranged: 10 May 1982
1982-83
ARSENAL (First XI)
12 February 1983
Upton Park - Snow bound pitch
Rearranged: 10 May 1983 (Supplement)
Original programme re-issued with a supplement
1984-85
The snow which fell on England on Sunday 6 January had a domino effect on soccer fixtures, a back-log had already built up to cause problems on and off the field. Over half the Canon League games were deferred on January 12, the day of the Chelsea fixture.
CHELSEA (First XI)
12 January 1985
Upton Park - Snow
Rearranged: 13 April 1985
WATFORD (First XI)
9 February 1985
Vicarage Road - Snow
Rearranged: 2 April 1985
IPSWICH TOWN (Reserves)
9 February 1985
Upton Park - Snow
Rearranged: 7 May 1985
WIMBLEDON (FA Cup Fifth Round)
16 February 1985
Plough Lane - Snow
Rearranged: 4 March 1985 (Original programme re-issued)
Chelsea
12 January 1985
1985-86
The big freeze brought English football to a standstill and our home games against Southampton, Manchester United, and Ipswich Town were yet again the victims of the arctic conditions.
It seemed that the Hammers were not destined to complete the First Division fixture with Southampton. Jack Frost saw off the original game, which was scheduled for December 28th, and then the Saints were unable to keep the new date because of an FA Cup replay. Then the weather intervened again.
The club had taken steps to try and combat the elements with the purchase of special ground sheets, designed to prevent frost attacking the surface of the field. Four giant strips, measuring 75 metres by seven, will protect the two goalmouths - from touchline to touchline - and if these prove successful they will consider covering the whole field.
This system has been used with some success by both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur this winter, although when the elements are as severe as they have been recentiy, there is no guaranteed protection.
SOUTHAMPTON (First XI)
28 December 1985
Upton Park - Artic Conditions
Rearranged: 8 April 1986
CHELSEA (First XI)
1 January 1986
Upton Park - Artic Conditions
Rearranged: 15 April 1986
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (Reserves)
22 January 1986
Goldstone Ground - Artic Conditions
Rearranged: 17 April 1986
MANCHESTER UNITED (FA Cup 5th Round) Printed but not issued
15 February 1986
Upton Park - Artic Conditions
Rearranged: 5 March 1986
The Manchester Unite F.A. Cup Fifth Round tie home programme was not on sale to the general public and all copies were destroyed.
However it seems at least some copies did survive, but not many. One surfaced at Auction in May 2009 with the Hammer falling at a whopping £496
1986-87
SOUTHAMPTON (Reserves) Not Seen One!
22 November 1986
The Dell - Heavy Rain
Rearranged: 21 February 1987
SOUTHAMPTON (Reserves)
3 January 1987
Upton Park - Heavy Rain
Rearranged: 28 April 1987
Both of the original dates for the Hammers Football Combination fixtures against Southampton this season had to be re-arranged, as on each occasion “rain stopped play” at the Dell in November and at Upton Park in January.
1988-89
IPSWICH TOWN (Reserves)
18 February 1989
Upton Park - The possibility of an FA Cup replay caused this postponement
Rearranged: 6 May 1989 (Played at Chadwell Heath)
No Programme Issued for either game
1989-90
IPSWICH TOWN (Reserves)
21 November 1989
Upton Park - Inclement Weather : game switched to Chadwell Heath on the same day)
No Programme Issued and for the second season running the game against the Tractor Boys was switch to Chadwell Heath
OXFORD UNITED (Reserves)
6 December 1989
Manor Ground - Fog
Rearranged: 11 December 1989
WATFORD (First XI)
3 February 1990
Vicarage Road - Waterlogged Pitch
Rearranged: 13 March 1990
WIMBLEDON (Reserves)
3 February 1990
Upton Park - Poor pitch
Rearranged: 27 March 1990
Oxford United 6 December 1989
Manor Road ground was fog bound
1991-92
WATFORD (Reserves)
19 November 1991
Upton Park - Torrential rain
Rearranged: 27 January 1992
WIMBLEDON (Reserves)
10 December 1991
Home match played at Terence McMillian Stadium - Heavy frost
Rearranged: 2 April 1992 game switched to Upton Park
SOUTHAMPTON (First XI - Zenith Data Systems Cup)
11 December 1991
The Dell - Frost
Rearranged: 7 January 1992
SOUTHAMPTON (First XI)
14 December 1991
Upton Park - Frost
Rearranged: 14 April 1992
CRYSTAL PALACE (Reserves)
30 March 1992
Plough Lane - Reason ????
Rearranged: 24 April 1992
Jack Frost was to blame for home and away postponments against Southampton within 4-days of one another
1993-94
WIMBLEDON (Reserves)
23 February 1994
Selhurst Park - Unfit pitch
Rearranged: 6 May 1994 played at Plough Lane
CONTINUE
