West Ham United celebrates its 125th anniversary on 29 June – and as part of our celebrations we're counting down to the date with the Club’s #50GreatestMatches – brought to you by Monster Energy!
Since the Hammers were formed as Thames Ironworks FC in 1895, we have played in excess of 5,500 matches – reaching five FA Cup finals - and one women's FA Cup final, lifting European silverware and competing across the globe and enjoying thousands of memorable moments.
With your help and recommendations, we've whittled down that list of 5,500 matches to a top 50, featuring landmark goals, trophies held aloft, heroic individual performances and remarkable collective efforts.
We continue the #50GreatestMatches countdown with a record breaking afternoon at the Boleyn Ground in 1968...
Double hat-tricks at the Boleyn Ground have only occurred twice in the proud history of West Ham United, but the second time was a particularly memorable day.
First up, 326-goal, Vic Watson waded through the mud to smash home six times during the 8-2 lashing of Leeds United in a Division Two clash on 9 February 1929. Then, nearly 60 years later, that fantastic feat was repeated by 248-goal Geoff Hurst.
Standing in tenth spot, Sunderland had obliviously sauntered down Green Street on 19 October 1968 for a First Division clash with the Hammers. By 4:40 pm, however, they were licking their wounds following sixth-placed West Ham United's biggest-ever top-flight victory – an 8-0 hammering – in which Hurst plundered six goals with chilling, clinical efficiency.
England's 1966 World Cup final hat-trick hero got his spree off to a suspicious start when he nudged Martin Peters' 19th-minute cross over the line with his hand. After Bobby Moore had doubled the home advantage, Hurst legitimately nodded in at the far post, before converting Harry Redknapp's corner right on the interval.
There was to be a second-half hat-trick, too, as Peters set up his fourth and Hurst then bundled in his fifth goal on the hour. Trevor Brooking added West Ham's seventh before Redknapp invited hot-shot Hurst to give the weary Wearsiders six of the best as he completed the record 8-0 caning.
Ronald Atkin of The Observer wrote: "Hurst was allowed to keep the matchball as a momento, which was only proper since he had it for most of the afternoon!."
Hurst's record-equalling feat was matched by the team too - the 8-0 victory still stands as the Hammers' joint-record league win, following the 8-0 win against Rotherham ten years earlier.
Don't miss #16 in the countdown on Sunday - when we secured the Division Two title in 1958...
