On This Day - 12 January

Anniversary

Marco Boogers
Born: 12 January 1967, Dordrecht, Netherlands
Clubs: DS '79, FC Utrecht, RKC Waalwijk, Fortuna Sittard, Sparta Rotterdam, West Ham United, FC Groningen, FC Volendam, FC Dordrecht

He may have made just four substitute appearances for West Ham United, but no Hammers fan will ever forget Marco Boogers.

The Dutch striker arrived from Sparta Rotterdam for a fee of around £1m in July 1995. Boogers made his debut in the 2-1 home Premier League defeat by Leeds United on 19 August, but it was his brief appearance at Old Trafford four days later that would live far longer in the memory.

The Dordrecht-born player was sent on as a substitute by manager Harry Redknapp, only to be sent off almost immediately for a foul on Manchester United defender Gary Neville.

Boogers would not play for the Hammers again until 4 November, when he appeared as a substitute in the 4-1 home defeat by Aston Villa. The striker's final game in a claret and blue shirt came on 2 December at Blackburn Rovers. Boogers was loaned to FC Groningen in his homeland.

The striker enjoyed a fruitful return to the Netherlands, scoring 71 goals in 129 games for Dordrecht '90 before retiring in 2003.

Classic Match

Watford 0-1 West Ham United
Second Division
12 January 1991

A crowd of 17,172 were at Watford's Vicarage Road to watch promotion-bound West Ham United secure their fifth successive clean sheet at Watford.

Managed by Billy Bonds, the Hammers arrived at the home the Hornets top of the Second Division table and having lost just one of their opening 25 league matches. Watford, meanwhile, were on their own eight-match unbeaten run under Steve Perryman.

The match also saw United come up against former Boleyn Ground legend Alan Devonshire, who had moved to Watford from West Ham in 1990. However, despite a fine performance from Dev, the home side were unable to stop the visitors' charge towards the top-flight.

The only goal of the game arrived on 66 minutes. Ludek Miklosko's long punt would arrive at the feet of Trevor Morley, who made no mistake in planting the ball past a young David James.