In the third part of a new series commemorating the 50th anniversary of West Ham United’s fantastic FA Cup final triumph, former Hammers striker BILLY JENNINGS recalls his memorable, big-money move to east London, back in September 1974...
It is Tuesday 3 September 2024 and, with a gentle breeze blowing across an early morning sea of tranquillity, life on the Essex coast could not be calmer for Billy Jennings.
But exactly 50 years ago to the day, the wind-blown Watford striker had found himself caught in the eye of a hurricane that swept him from the Hornets to the Hammers within a matter of hours.
Aged 22, Billy was the hottest property outside the top-flight having just topped the goal-scoring charts in the old Division Three with 29 league and cup strikes during a standout 1973/74 season.
Indeed, Watford boss Mike Keen – the late father of West Ham’s current U17s-U21s Lead Professional Development Phase Coach, Kevin – had already seen his Board decline a £90,000 bid from second-tier Portsmouth.
“I was a bit perturbed by that but with no agents around in those days to force moves, I hadn’t really had much say in the matter,” recalls Jennings, clearly stung by the Hornets' refusal to sell. “But Mike reasoned I was good enough to play in the top division and he said: ‘Keep doing what you’re doing, come back after the summer break and you’ll be good to go.’
“Although 1973/74 had been my mainstay campaign, things hadn’t started well once we’d returned and, after only scoring once in our opening five games, I thought I’d missed the boat.
“Then, in early September, when I arrived for training the day before our next match at Hereford United, Mike came up to me with a big ‘I told you so’ grin written all over his face. ‘We’ve accepted an offer from West Ham United and I’m taking you there after training,’ he smiled.
“Despite being brought up in a council house in Hackney, I’d never been to Upton Park. My Dad wasn’t really into football, we never had a car and if we ever went to a game, it’d be at Tottenham Hotspur.
“Mike drove us from Watford to the Boleyn Ground and, with no M25 back then, it took ages. I met Ron Greenwood, who briefly explained a couple of bits and pieces before putting the contract in front of me.
“It was the move I’d been craving so I just signed on the dotted line. End of story…” reveals Billy, recalling a break-neck return to his native East End. “On £14 per week at Watford, I didn’t even know how much I’d be earning? I just guessed it’d be a bit more than the average working man’s salary and, hopefully, a decent living wage.
“I hadn’t even had time to tell my parents about the move and, when I got back to my digs in Watford, my landlady was as shocked as me by what had happened from the moment I’d left that morning. It’d been a whirlwind!”
Believing Jennings could carry his striking prowess into the top-flight, West Ham’s giant leap of faith was underlined by the fact that, at £110,000, he became the Club’s fourth most-expensive signing behind Ted MacDougall (£170,000), Graham Paddon (£160,000) and ‘Pop’ Robson (£120,000).
“The fee went over my head because nobody highlighted it was a record sale for Watford and one of West Ham’s biggest transfers,” contends Billy. “But the lads must’ve been thinking: ‘Who have we signed here?’ Arriving for my first training session, I was amazed at how quickly they moved the ball, while everything was far more technical, too. Everyone really was fully tuned into the Ron Greenwood way of pass ‘n’ move.
“My body’s shot to pieces nowadays but back then I felt impregnable and, due to my slight build, I’d always knock the ball off quickly because you’d get clattered in the Third Division if you held onto it for too long.
“I’d worked hard and came away thinking: ‘I didn’t look too out of place there.’ But I also realised what was needed to play in the top-flight.”
The Hammers were fourth-bottom when Jennings jogged out at Upton Park to make his debut against Sheffield United (1-2) and, just four days after stepping-up two divisions, he took just 18 minutes to score against the Blades.
“At Vicarage Road, I was forever making runs into the near-post but – with respect to my old team-mates – the ball hadn’t turned up too often,” he laughs. “Now at West Ham, Frank Lampard had just run down the left-wing before putting a quality ball onto a six-pence for me. That pass had been right on the money and, arriving at the front post, I only had to tuck it into the net.
“While we ended up losing, from a personal perspective it was great to put us ahead early and make that good start to my Hammers career. I don’t like thinking about what might’ve happened if I’d had a bad one!”
Jennings’ arrival had coincided with Greenwood moving ‘upstairs’ at the Boleyn Ground, with understudy John Lyall being appointed Team Manager.
Crucially, the Hammers continued to speculate to accumulate, gambling on the signings of Newcastle United’s Keith Robson (£60,000) and Rochdale’s Alan Taylor (£40,000), too.
“I’m not sure about the method behind it but we all came from lesser beginnings,” observes Billy. “John was a gritty player before injury forced early retirement and perhaps he saw a hunger and desire for success in the three of us?
“I tried keeping ‘Robbo’ in check but it was difficult,” sighs Jennings, who remains good friends with the colourful Geordie. “Once, we stayed up in the North East after an away game and Keith took me to his local. I wasn’t a big drinker and when I asked for half-a-lager – just like in those cowboy films – the pub fell silent. They didn’t have any half-pint glasses so the bar-staff poured my beer into a pint-pot using a ruler!”
But there were no half-measures out on the pitch as Billy helped himself to nine goals – including one against reigning champions Leeds United (2-1) – in the run-up to Christmas.
By now, the Hammers had climbed into fifth, losing just once in 17 matches.
“For me, every game was exciting,” he says, recalling a 1974/75 season that saw him end up netting 14 times in 40 starts. “And when the FA Cup came around in January, never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d end up at Wembley.
“I played in every tie but each one was just another match until we started getting closer to the final. Early on, we’d some sticky games and, after winning at Southampton (2-1), we played badly against Swindon Town (1-1) in the fourth round. I’d put us ahead at Upton Park but they forced a difficult replay which we somehow won (2-1) before knocking out Queens Park Rangers (2-1), too.
“It was only once we’d won at Arsenal (2-0) in our quarter-final that we started thinking: ‘Maybe this is meant to be?’ Having kicked-off my season at Watford, it was fantasyland to be thinking about playing in an FA Cup final, eight months after signing.”
By now, Rochdale-rookie Taylor had also burst onto the scene, coming from obscurity to famously fire a deadly-double at Highbury upon his first start.
“Suddenly, Alan became our silver lining,” continues Billy. “In our first semi-final at Villa Park, Ipswich Town were far better than us and we did well to get a goalless draw but thankfully he then got another two in the Stamford Bridge replay (2-1) to send us into the final.”
“The days leading up to Wembley were mad with all the pre-match media stuff for television, newspapers and the likes of Shoot! Magazine,” Billy recalls. “FA Cup finals were really big deals and every interview talked-up our meeting with Bobby Moore and Fulham.
“When Saturday came around, though, the match just came and went – waking-up on Sunday morning, I thought: ‘It’s gone!’ I’m not alone in wishing I’d slowed things down in my head, sucked up the Wembley atmosphere and taken everything in.
“What sticks, though, is playing against ‘Mooro’ who second guessed everything I did. Making things difficult all afternoon, he’d step-off me before suddenly stepping-in. Neither the quickest nor the biggest, he’d a unique quality for reading the game – Pelé really thought a lot of him so just what was Bobby Moore like in his prime?
“I didn’t have much of a final,” admits Billy, notwithstanding the fact his awkward, low 20-yarder created the opener for two-goal Taylor after Cottagers ‘keeper Peter Mellor spilled the stinging effort. “That was my only decent shot and it would’ve been nice if it’d gone in but, fortunately, Alan got the rebound and ended up king of the castle.
“Arsenal, Ipswich, Fulham… he lived off those three games for the rest of his career. In fact, he’s still living off being the king of Wembley, today!”
Certainly, there was a right royal procession the following morning as the triumphant Hammers paraded the trophy through the East End.
“Sunday left some amazing memories,” he enthuses. “It was exhilarating and I’ve never seen so many people in one place. The streets were packed solid, while kids were climbing trees and hanging off lamp-posts – Health & Safety would be all over it nowadays!”
A 1976 European Cup Winners’ Cup finalist, too, Jennings went on to net 39 goals during his 125 outings in Claret & Blue before joining Leyton Orient and Luton Town, ahead of opening a couple of wine bars and then becoming a players’ representative.
Now retired to that peaceful Essex coastline with partner Annie, the occasional Matchday Ambassador concludes: “These past 50 years have gone so quickly but it’s lovely when the older generation recognise me and want to chat about that Saturday afternoon at Wembley back in 1975.”
