Video: Mark Noble Testimonial

The worst fear for any host is that no one will turn up for their own party and, instead of allowing himself to feel excited about being awarded the final testimonial at Upton Park, the first thoughts to cross Mark Noble’s mind were that the stadium would be half empty and the entertainment would turn him down. “I was nervous,” West Ham United’s captain said. “I didn’t want to get a testimonial and 15,000 people turn up. It’s just the way I am personally.”

As it turned out, however, the wide array of club heroes and cult legends on the guest list did not require much persuasion to accept the invitation and the game was sold out within a couple of weeks. Paolo Di Canio and Rio Ferdinand were the star names in a 35-man West Ham all-star squad infront of 35,000 supporters at Upton Park.

Mark Noble scored to help a West Ham XI claim an entertaining 6-5 victory over a West Ham All-Stars team in his testimonial match at a sold-out Boleyn Ground.

Watch the full match below: