David Martin has thanked his West Ham United teammates, manager, staff and supporters for making his three seasons with his boyhood Club so enjoyable and fulfilling.
The lifelong Hammer and son of Club legend Alvin, the goalkeeper grew up at the Boleyn Ground and Chadwell Heath as a child before returning in 2019 following a long and productive career in the Football League with the likes of Leicester City and MK Dons.
Signed predominantly to support the likes of Łukasz Fabiański and later Darren Randolph and Alphonse Areola, Martin was thrust into the starting XI when Fabiański was injured and Roberto suffered a loss of form in November 2019.
The experienced goalkeeper responded with an unbeatable performance on his Premier League debut, helping the Hammers to a vital 1-0 win at Chelsea, where his every touch was cheered by the Claret and Blue Army and he celebrated by dropping to his knees and crying tears of joy.
Martin made four further Premier League appearances that season, keeping another clean sheet in a 1-0 win at Southampton the following month and, such was the value of his presence, the 36-year-old earned a one-year contract extension in the summer of 2021.
A positive, modest character, Martin endeared himself to his teammates, becoming close friends with the likes of Mark Noble, Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson, and a welcome presence in the dressing room on matchdays.
After assisting goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero and working alongside Fabiański, Areola and Randolph as West Ham reached the UEFA Europa League semi-finals and qualified for Europe for the second successive season in 2021/22, Martin will depart with his head held high and with memories he will cherish forever.
David, what a three years you have had, playing for your boyhood Club?
“Obviously West Ham is a Club I was born into. I was a bit worried, actually, when I first signed three years ago, as while I was buzzing to be back the first time walk through the door, there was almost a little bit of apprehension in thinking ‘Will it really live up to what I expect it to be’, but I think it’s done that and then some!
“To see what the Club is actually like from the inside, it’s massively overdone my estimations, so it's been a privilege to be here for three years and what I have experienced in those three years has just been unbelievable.”
You have been totally embraced by this Football Club, too!
“I've genuinely loved it. I've loved not just the dressing room, which I will say is probably, in my maybe 20-year career, has been the best dressing room I think I've been in. But it's just all the staff that don't get all the limelight – the groundstaff, guys in the kitchen, the media guys... It's a Club pulling in the right direction and I'm so proud that I've actually been able to be lucky enough to see that from the inside.”
You’ve also done some special things on the pitch, most notably those games you played in late 2019. How would you sum that experience up?
“It's what dreams are made of and obviously to have my family there with me, with my Dad in the stands with the history that he's had with the Club, it's been a part of my life since the day I was born, so to actually achieve what I did with the team that day is was just unbelievable. And it will live with me for the rest of my life. That's how special these three years have actually been.”
You’ve become a cult hero too, with the ‘We’ve got a chance, Martin’s in goal’ chant ringing out from the terraces ever since your debut at Stamford Bridge!
“Yeah, I mean, that kept me going through that first game, and to actually when I’m out running now, when I'm finding it really, really tough and I don't really want to be doing a run or a bike ride or putting my body through it, that chant goes through my head now, so it's almost like a motivation. It's something that will live me with me for the rest of my life.”
And you’ve been part of an amazing time to be at West Ham United, too?
“To play for my team in that first year was amazing, but the last two years when I haven't played, to see what the boys have achieved on the pitch, and the Club with the supporters, everyone's pulling in the right direction.
“A typical West Ham season would be one great, and then the next would be fighting relegation, so you've got to give a lot of credit to the gaffer for that, to get that consistency. Yes, he is demanding and he expects that in training and games and he will never let you take your foot off the pedal and that's what West Ham need.
“Looking on, as a West Ham supporter, the bare minimum that you ask for is for your team to be competitive in every game, to fight for every ball, every throw in, every corner, every tackle and it's just been a real joy to see that from inside and the lads doing it on pitch.”
You’ve made some real friends at this Club, too?
“Football is a funny game and it is a conveyor belt, so you've got a number of days in the building, but there are friendships that I've made, not just with the British players, but with the Czech lads and the French lads. Obviously Łukasz is someone I admire not just on the pitch but off of it as well for the man that he is. So, hopefully friendships are there that will last a very, very long time.”
You were 33 when you signed and you’re 36 now, so do you think you’ve improved as a goalkeeper in your time at the Club?
“I’m a hundred times a better goalkeeper than when I arrived!
In my first pre-season in Switzerland, I literally couldn't see the ball going into the top corner and it was like I couldn't even move before the ball hit the net! Obviously, I'm getting closer to them now, so I'd like to think that I've improved and this season, especially, I've been able to work on weaknesses in the gym and on the pitch. I can't believe it but, at 36, I'm probably the strongest and fittest that I've been in my whole career because I've been able to concentrate on that.”
And that means you want to keep playing elsewhere next season?
“I'd like to think so. That's my priority at the moment, to start training ready for a new club and a new challenge. The next couple of years, hopefully I can get a few games in that time and then look at a different path after that.”
We saw you and your wife and children on the pitch with you after the Manchester City game, and that won’t be the final time we see the Martin family at a West Ham match, will it?
“Definitely not, definitely not! I was born into it, and I'm going to be a West Ham fan till the day I die and I think my family will be well beyond that! I’ve obviously got two girls and the Women's team is definitely on their way to becoming a powerhouse so in another ten years or so, Ruby and Skye will hopefully be kicking a ball for West Ham!”