It’s fair to say that Dave Sexton is better known for his coaching and managing career rather than his playing days. He spent three years at the Boleyn scoring on average a goal every three games between 1952 to 1955.
Dave is pictured here with Tommy Docherty, who was Chelsea manager at the time and Sexton was his coach, both turning out in the Hammers colours for a charity game.
Dave Sexton replaced the Doc as Chelsea manager in 1967 and led Chelsea to the FA Cup and Euro Cup Winners Cup, yet relegation in 1974 led to him losing the job. Next stop QPR and he took them to the brink of the title losing out to Liverpool on the last day of the season.
In 1977 Man United, fresh from winning the FA Cup hired Sexton to replace again Tommy Docherty, but after four years and only a Cup Final loss in 1979 to Arsenal he lost his job.
This left him to concentrate on his England Youth coaching job which he was successful at winning the 1982 and 1984 U21 tournaments – the only time in England’s history they have won that tournament.
How much his early days at West Ham influenced him is hard to say but when you look at the period of the late 60s to the early 80s. Sexton and his friends from Cassertari’s cafe held posts at the biggest clubs in the country at that time.
Words and pictures from CandH historian and lifelong fan Nigel Khan
Follow Nige on Twitter at @mywhufc