After a season review video had played on the big screens, ceremony hosts and lifelong Hammers Bianca Westwood and Ben Shephard took centre-stage. Proceedings kicked-off with Mark Noble leading the first-team around the pitch to accept the applause from a capacity crowd – many of whom were reduced to tears by the overwhelming mixture of pride, sadness and optimism that filled the stadium.
Attention then turned to the Club’s outstanding Hammer of the Year winners, more than 20 of whom had made the journey back to their spiritual home, who entered the Boleyn Ground in five Claret and Blue-clad traditional London taxis.
As the memorable climax approached, three truly iconic moments in the stadium’s long history went under the spotlight – Paolo Di Canio’s world-class volley against Wimbledon in March 2000, Sir Trevor Brooking’s 1976 European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final goal against Eintracht Frankfurt, and finally Billy Bonds’ wave to a crowd-covered pitch following promotion to the Premier League in May 1993.
The Cockney Rejects played a rocking drunken version of ‘Bubbles’ that nearly took the roof off the stadium before silence fell for the climax – moving footage of the late, great Bobby Moore switching off the Boleyn Ground lights one last time.
All that was left was for Mr Moon to officially leave the building, and 112 years of highs, lows, laughter and tears at the Boleyn Ground was brought to a poignant end.