Following 250-plus outings for Luton Town, TIM BREACKER became Billy Bonds’ first-ever signing when he moved down West Ham way in a £600,000 deal in October 1990. Having made 296 appearances in Claret & Blue across nine seasons, the former defender is now living life to the full…
Cup fever
The only European competition I enjoyed with West Ham was four appearances in the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1992/93. Back in those days, we were in a yo-yo era of either needing to concentrate on getting promoted or simply staying up. The league always seemed to take priority over the cup competitions.
Although we were on the wrong end of some giant-killings, we did get on a roll during my first season to beat Everton (2-1) in the FA Cup sixth-round on an unbelievable night at the Boleyn Ground before controversially losing the semi-final to Nottingham Forest at Villa Park. That was the nearest I got to playing for West Ham at Wembley, although I did get there twice with Luton.
No Hatters fan ever needs reminding about the Littlewoods Cup final victory over Arsenal in 1988. We had so many Luton legends in our team – the likes of Ricky Hill, Mick Harford, Steve Foster, Mal Donaghy plus Brian and Mark Stein – and trailing 1-2 with just ten minutes left, came back to win 3-2.
That amazing afternoon goes down in history for anyone lucky enough to have been at Wembley and days like that are simply the unforgettable, ‘pinch me’ moments of a player’s career.
Aged 22, I possibly took it for granted at the time, reckoning it'd probably happen all over again, one day. Sadly it didn’t and we then lost to Forest in the following year’s final.
Just like everyone connected with the Hammers out in Prague last June, you have to savour every moment if you’re ever fortunate enough to win a trophy because, believe me, cup finals don’t come around too often.
Hats off to the Hatters
Remember, Luton Town were playing National League football just ten seasons ago and it’s been brilliant watching them climbing through the divisions to bring the good times back to Kenilworth Road.
Regardless of resources, they’ve shown it’s still possible to reach the Premier League and, after all the ups-and-downs in their recent history, it’s been an unbelievable achievement.
AFC Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion have been on similar journeys, too, and that can only be good for football.
I still speak to my old team-mate Mick Harford and Luton are clearly doing things in the right way, on-and-off the pitch. They’ve got good management and good people who aren’t gambling with the club’s future by throwing money at trying to stay in the Premier League and the fans are all on board with that, too.
It’s incredible to see what they’ve achieved with crowds of around 11,000 but, there’s still a romantic side to Kenilworth Road and those Hatters supporters certainly create hostile atmospheres for visiting teams.
With the fans so close to the pitch it reminds me of the old Chicken Run at Upton Park – a real throwback to the eighties.
Rob Edwards’ team have done everything they can to compete in every match and it’s so important to do that when the odds are stacked against you.
Coming into this weekend, they were still just about in the mix with Burnley and Nottingham Forest and, hopefully, that’ll be the case against Fulham, next Sunday, too.
Whatever happens, though, Luton can still hold their heads high knowing they’ve tried to make a good fist of things this season.
The West Ham Way
Having worked in management, coaching and scouting, it’s important that young players start off on the right footing if they’re going to progress from the youth ranks to the first-team. It’s not just about learning the technical, tactical side of the game, an individual’s development as a person is crucial, too.
The Academy of Football is held in high esteem and, with the likes of Kevin Keen, Kenny Brown, Steve Potts and Mark Robson around, any youngster coming through at West Ham is guaranteed to have influential people looking out for them. All team-mates of mine, those four are good, grounded lads with great characters, too.
Growing up as a player, you’ve also got to learn how to deal with the game’s disappointments because not everyone’s going to reach the first-team.
If it doesn’t work out for any particular lad, then he’ll need to continue his way in life and each and every one of those coaches will be just as caring towards the ones who don’t make it as they will be to the ones who do.
Last year’s FA Youth Cup final victory over Arsenal was testament to the job that all four have done within the Academy and I was so pleased for them.
Happy Hammer to Happy Camper!
These days, I’m catching-up on all the things that I’d missed out on during my career. Joining Luton, aged 16, it was always all about the next game, next game, next game… When the end of season arrived, as players, we’d have a few weeks off before going back and doing it all again.
Then, as a coach and scout, it was full-on 24/7. Every hour of every day was taken up on the training ground, travelling to matches, watching videos and writing-up reports.
When the pandemic came, I realised that I needed a proper break because I’d been on a non-stop conveyor belt for 40-odd years.
I wasn’t in any hurry to get back into the game and, over these past two or three years, I’ve now done so much – I’ve really enjoyed skiing, which I was never allowed to do as a player before then always finding myself working during the winter months.
I’ve been on city breaks with my sons and, alongside my wife Kaz, have bought an old motor-home, too. It’s got its bumps, dents and scratches but we love throwing the dog in the back before heading off and parking up in a farmer’s field or campsite, somewhere.
We’ve travelled all around Great Britain and Europe, attending festivals, taking scenic walks, while visiting local sights such as the battlefields in Normandy.
I can do golf days again and attend club reunions, too. Back in December 2022, I went to the Hammers’ 1992/93 promotion dinner, where I met up with all the lads. I love nights like that. Even though it was 30 years on, we chatted away as though we’d all just seen each other training at Chadwell Heath.
