Former West Ham United winger Matty Etherington is the latest guest to share his memories on Iron Cast, the Club’s official podcast!
The ex-England youth international, who scored 18 goals in 195 appearances during a six-year stint in east London between 2003 and 2009, experienced a host of thrills and spills following his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur, having originally come through the ranks at Peterborough United.
After struggling to establish himself in the Premier League at White Hart Lane, Etherington explained why a move to Upton Park appealed to his 22-year-old self, and how his first season in Claret and Blue paved the way for a lot of what he achieved during his storied career.
Speaking to Iron Cast co-hosts Chris Scull and his good friend James Collins, he said: “I’d been picked up by Peterborough from youth football near where I grew up in Cornwall, and then made the jump from the bottom of the Football League to the top-flight with Spurs.
“But I didn’t feel like I was getting a fair chance there. I’d got into the team when there were injuries, then lost my place again, so I had a hunger in me to go and prove myself again. Dropping down into the Championship with West Ham felt like the perfect opportunity to do that.
“We’d just been relegated, and a lot happened in that first season. I played under three managers - Glenn Roeder, Trevor Brooking and Alan Pardew - and the club was in a bit of a transition period with players coming and going.
“In the end we didn’t get promoted, but I think I played some of my best football that year, and there were certainly some moments that I will never forget!”
Etherington indeed featured in a total of 45 matches during that first 2003/04 campaign, which saw him really etch himself in West Ham folklore with a stunning strike against Ipswich Town in the Play-Off semi-finals, before ultimate disappointment against Crystal Palace in the Cardiff showpiece.
Another visit to the Welsh capital followed the summer after however, with the Irons successfully securing a return to the top-flight after two terms with a narrow 1-0 win over Preston North End in May 2005.
Etherington - who recently left his managerial post at EFL League Two Colchester United - said: “I must’ve watched that goal against Ipswich about 100 times! It wasn’t something we’d worked on - it just happened - and it’s a moment that’ll live with me forever.
“We were all crushed when we got beaten in the final against Palace, and then the next year we could all feel the pressure. We did amazingly well to beat Ipswich again in the semi-finals - by going to Portman Road and winning in the second leg - but there was so much riding on that Preston game.
“When we won, I remember just feeling pure relief. I was proud - particularly having had a hand in Bobby Zamora’s winner - and we were also all so pleased to have been able to go back to the Millennium Stadium and right the wrong of the previous year.”
Promotion preceded a ninth-place finish in the Premier League in 2005/06, which featured famous wins against the likes of Arsenal at Highbury, as well as a run all the way to the FA Cup final against Liverpool.
“I think the squad that got promoted was full of young players ready to prove they could cut it at the top level,” added Etherington. “That was the case for me - particularly after my spell at Spurs - as well as people like Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood and Anton Ferdinand.
“We had no fear, and we went out and shocked some teams in that first year. The win against Arsenal in February 2006 - when I scored our third goal - was one of a few very special moments.
“Defeat in the FA Cup final was horrific, though. It still bothers me to this day. We’d done amazing to get to the final, which oddly took us back to Cardiff for a third successive season, and I’d done well to get fit following injury.
“But I still can’t get over it. Steven Gerrard was an unbelievable footballer, and he proved the difference that day. It wasn’t meant to be, and even though it’s hard it’s still important to recognise how far we’d come by the end of that season. To have been part of that journey for West Ham United was incredible.”
You can check out the whole episode - in which Etherington also discusses his issues with gambling addiction and his move to Stoke City - in the video player above, or you can download and subscribe to Iron Cast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and RSS here now!
