September 1, 1900
Southern League
Memorial Grounds
West Ham Utd 7 Gravesend 0
Billy Grassam took just five minutes to score West Ham United's first-ever goal, in front of a 2,000 crowd at Canning Town's Memorial Grounds. The loss-making Thames Iron Works FC had only just resigned from the Southern League, five years after the shipbuilder Arnold Hills founded the club for his workforce.
But the newly-formed Hammers got off to winning ways. The flying Scot Grassam went on to bag four while a Jimmy Reid double, plus a tightly-angled Fergus Hunt shot, completed the seven-goal rout.
WHU: Monteith, Tranter, Craig, Dove, Raisbeck, MacEachrane, Hunt, Grassam, Reid, Kaye, Fenton.
August 30, 1919
Football League Division Two
Upton Park
West Ham Utd 1 Lincoln City 1
The final shots of World War One had been fired less than 12 months before Hammers kicked off their first-ever Football League match.
And City's Chesser soon silenced 20,000 expectant East Enders when he blasted home a penalty.
But debutant Jim Moyes - who was poised to play only one further game for West Ham - headed an equaliser to secure an unbeaten start.
Alas, just two days later, the realities of league football dawned in a 0-7 defeat at Barnsley.
However, it was third time lucky when a Syd Puddefoot double put them on their way to a 4-1 win at Lincoln City, one week after that opening draw.
Puddefoot went on to hit 21 goals during an inaugural campaign that saw West Ham find their feet to eventually finish seventh.
WHU: Hufton, Cope, Lee, Lane, Fenwick, McCrae, D. Smith, Moyes, Puddefoot, Morris, Bradshaw.
April 28, 1923
FA Cup Final
Wembley Stadium
West Ham Utd 0 Bolton Wanderers 2
Wembley quite literally opened its gates for its first-ever FA Cup final as an estimated 200,000 fans got into the stadium any which way they could.
The promotion-chasing Hammers were behind after just three minutes of a delayed kick-off when David Jack put first division Bolton ahead.
And although Jimmy Ruffell's corner almost set up Vic Watson for an equaliser, the underdogs could not get into their stride in a game frequently punctuated by the masses encroaching onto the playing area.
When play was under way, Wanderers always looked the superior side, though, and on 54 minutes, John Smith effectively put the game out of Hammers' reach. While West Ham fruitlessly tried to claw their way back, it was left to Constable Scorey, on his legendary white horse Billie, to hold the crowd at bay all the way to the final whistle.
And although Syd King's West Ham were left to collect the losers' medals, they later received the consolation of gold club watches to commemorate that season's promotion to division one.
WHU: Hufton, Henderson, Young, Bishop, Kay, Tresadern, Richards, Brown, Watson, Moore, Ruffell.