Classic Match
Leyton Orient 2-3 West Ham United
FA Cup fourth round
26 January 1980
Three months before glory at the Twin Towers, West Ham United first had to get past a tricky fourth round tie at local neighbours Leyton Orient.
It was to be a classic cup match, with plenty of drama and goals for the 21,521 fans inside Brisbane Road to enjoy. Former West Ham United goalkeeper Mervyn Day was injured so another ex-Hammer, Tommy Taylor took the Orient armband. The home side took the lead when Billy Bonds conceded a penalty for handball. United equalised when Nigel Gray headed past his own goalkeeper, before a Ray Stewart penalty put them 2-1 up.
John Chiedozie pulled the Os level to set up a tense finale, but it was to be the Hammers who were to secure a fifth round tie with Swansea City as Stewart claimed his second with just nine minutes left on the clock.
Few inside Brisbane Road that day could have guessed the drama and jubilation that lay ahead for West Ham United that season. Wins over Swansea City, Aston Villa, Everton and then, famously, Arsenal in the final saw Bonds lift the cup for the second time in five years.