My first Liverpool…I’ve never recovered

April 1978 and the season is drawing to a close with the Hammers struggling at the foot of the table after a torrid season and realistically needing to win their last game of the season to survive.

In the days of two points for a win we were sitting fifth from bottom but only a point above QPR and two above Wolves yet both teams have played less games. The team standing between West Ham and salvation is Liverpool, the reigning champions of not only England but also Europe, a title they would retain though Nottingham Forest would win the league that year.

The difference in quality of the two teams is stark, Liverpool’s eleven included six current England internationals and two Scottish who were about to go to the World Cup in Argentina ,while the Hammers had just Brooking though Frank Lampard had won onr years back against Yugoslavia.

The Irons had reason to be hopeful though as they came into the game off the back of winning their last four at home. However, they had also lost their last four away games as well, and the fans flocked to the Boleyn in what would be the largest crowd of the season.

For me – eight-year-old Nigel  was as excited as ever as although my first season of attending was coming to an end the chance to see the mighty Liverpool team in the flesh was just as appealing.

The that fact defeat would mean certain relegation was never on my mind as I had no concept of what that meant for the club. Jut going to the game was enough for me and I remember like yesterday the events that day, from my uncle picking my brother and I up it his Volkswagen Beetle for the short drive to the ground. The car was parked above Queens Road Market and then the walk down Green Street with the pavements packed around the ground.

We had two seats in E block that day in the West Stand, tight squeeze for the 3 of us but in those days the turnstile operators generally turned a blind eye to those sort of things. Once the ground was full they would close the gates and that day would be the first occasion that season that had happened.

This was partly due to the large away following Liverpool had even in those days as when the game started even up in the West Stand upper tier the Scousers were aplenty. Where we sat it seemed as many were cheering for Liverpool than West Ham and that day they had the reasons to cheer.

Liverpool defeated the Hammers 2-0 and with QPR drawing and Wolves winning West Ham’s longest unbroken spell in top flight football came to an end. The only question I had was whether this meant we had to play elsewhere, away from Upton Park.

I was happy with the reply I could look forward to coming back in August, for even in defeat I had that day caught the Football Fever. Little did I know then it was incurable  and not only that, those following seasons outside the top flight were going to be three of the best Seasons as a fan I would ever enjoy.

I’ve never found a picture from that day, but luckily for me The Big Match cameras were there to record forever the day I fell in love with West Ham and the beautiful game so I have taken a screen shot of the Hammers team as displayed the next day on the TV.

You to can relive that game here