West Ham are in their first European final for 47 years. Back in 1976 I was a 16-year-old on a rainy night at Upton Park watching the Irons beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 to reach the European Cup Winners’ Cup final. For the winning goal Trevor Brooking threw a dummy that sent a defender halfway down the Barking Road.
We lost the final 4-2 to Anderlecht, but it didn’t matter too much. I saw West Ham win the FA Cup at Wembley in 1975 and again in 1980. The Hammers reached the League Cup final in 1981. Surely finals would come round every few years? But then came the 43 years of hurt since we last won a trophy.
