Sid Lambert takes us back 20 years to the 2004/05 season, when Alan Pardew’s Hammers secured a rollercoaster return to the Premier League...
What defines a superhero? According to the Cambridge dictionary it is ‘someone who uses special powers to do good things and help other people’. In comic books, these heroes can be motivated by a noble quest to help ordinary folk (Superman), or perhaps by seeking vengeance for previous trauma (Batman).
Whatever their motivations, the long-suffering supporters of West Ham United needed someone to rescue them from their fate.
There were nine games left in this miserable season. We hadn’t won for a month. We were outside the Play-Off spots. And under-fire boss Alan Pardew was potentially facing a summer on the golf course with a P45 in his back pocket.
Who would have thought that in this, our darkest hour, the man to save us from our doom would be… a former Spurs legend?
When Teddy Sheringham arrived from Portsmouth at the start of the season, few of us expected him to be a key contributor. He’d had a decent season on the south coast, notching nine Premier League goals. But at 38 years old, even dropping down a division, most of us thought he’d mainly be sitting on the bench with a Bovril to keep him warm through the Championship’s bleak midwinter.
Instead, SuperTed had been our best player. One of the few to show any hint of composure amidst the weekly chaos of second-tier football. The season had been a war of attrition. A non-stop onslaught of 50/50 duels, percentage balls forward, and hopeful crosses into the box. This wasn’t the glitz and glamour of the Premier League. This was spit-and-sawdust football where you puffed out your chest, put your elbows up, and got stuck in.
Yet somehow Sheringham’s class had prevailed. And it did again during a ding-dong 2-2 draw with Leicester live on Sky. After former Hammer David Connolly put the Foxes ahead from the penalty spot, Sheringham nodded home the equaliser from a sensational Marlon Harewood cross. Then in the second half, trailing to a Keith Gillespie volley, Teddy answered our prayers again by steering a low shot home in a crowded penalty area. There was still time for a Nikos Dabizas red card and a missed Marlon Harewood penalty as the Upton Park lights delivered another night of high drama.
A point was enough to keep Pardew employed, but another defeat would surely be terminal. When Anton Ferdinand fluffed a headed clearance straight into the path of Wigan’s Jason Roberts at the JJB Stadium, the West Ham boss surely feared the worst. Thankfully, the lead only lasted four minutes. Once again, it was the league’s elder statesman who came to the rescue. After loanee Shaun Newton caused a panicked clearance, the ball ricocheted into the path of Sheringham. He had a split-second to react before the Latics’ defence crowded him out - but that was all he needed. In an instant the former England man rifled into the roof of the net, and we were level.
After celebrating his 20th goal of an incredible season – during which he continued to defy Old Father Time – the veteran striker let a young talent take centre stage. Despite weighing about nine stone soaking wet, little Mark Noble had adapted impressively to the rigours of first-team football. His willingness to get on the ball and make something happening, when others were fearful of making a mistake, had brought much-needed impetus to our midfield. And on this occasion it brought us a crucial three points. A magnificent first-time dink over the Wigan back four set Harewood racing through on goal. He banished memories of last week’s missed penalty with a drive into the bottom corner and celebrated in front of the travelling faithful.
It felt like a pivotal moment. A turning point. A gut check. On a freezing cold afternoon in Wigan, West Ham United had rediscovered their stomach for the fight. The dream was alive.
That optimism eroded gradually on a dour night at nearby Burnley three days later. The travelling Irons support had started in fine voice, but they were given precious little in terms of entertainment. It was scrappy. It was physical. It was, frankly, dreadful. The sort of test Pardew’s team had failed repeatedly throughout the season. For 83 minutes we looked devoid of any ideas. But we persevered.
And then, out of nowhere, we got our reward.
A botched Burnley back pass found Harewood. As he honed in on the onrushing goalkeeper he showed the composure to square the ball to an unmarked Sheringham, who stroked home the winner.
Cue delirium behind the goal. Two tricky trips north had brought six points. SuperTed had scored four goals. And we were just two points outside the Play-Off spots.
We weren’t done yet.
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of West Ham United.
