Matt Weston and Mark Noble shared something this Christmas when they both met their heroes – each other.
A lifelong West Ham United supporter like his Dad, Weston cheered Noble on from the terraces at the start of his career in the mid-2000s, before he enlisted in the Army at the age of 17.
By the age of 19, he had completed his specialist bomb disposal training and was deployed to Afghanistan in late March 2009 in an advanced search team finding IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).
Two days away from being promoted, still aged just 20, he was caught in a blast and severely injured, resulting in the loss of both legs above the knee and his right hand, as well as trauma to his abdomen resulting in the loss of his spleen, as well as other injuries.
With the support of Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, a charity partner of West Ham United, who he was first introduced to while recovering at Selly Oak Military Hospital, Weston has had well over 50 operations and embarked on a new career.
“Being in the military is not like a normal job, it’s a mindset as well,” he explained. “It wasn’t perfect, but if it weren’t for my circumstances I think I’d still be doing it. I loved it.
“Despite how it ended, I was there for my friends in Afghanistan. If they were going, I was going. I always volunteered for the most dangerous stuff because I was good at what I did, despite the outcome, and I enjoyed it.”
Following his extensive recovery, he moved to London to start working for Barclays in Canary Wharf as part of the Armed Forces Transition Employment Resettlement (AFTER) programme, helping ex-servicemen and women find employment, and was also able to watch his beloved Hammers, and Noble, in action again.
In 2018, he spoke at London Stadium as Blesma’s awareness match, accompanied by his father, and the pair subsequently became Season Ticket Holders, despite his Dad having a five-hour drive to each home game.
Tragically, Weston’s father was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and he died in March 2022, weeks before Noble’s final game for the Club.
In December this year, fittingly on his late father’s birthday, West Ham TV visited Weston at his home on the premiss of producing a video for this season’s Blesma awareness fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
There, he talked about his love for the Club and, in particular, his and his father’s admiration for Noble. What he did not know, however, was that the former West Ham captain had been let into his flat and was listening behind the door.
“West Ham was my old man’s team through and through and Mark Noble was his favourite player, and his objective was to try and watch his last game,” he confirmed. “For my Dad to have met him would have been great, but… He is a legend, he showed loyalty and stuck with one club my old man valued that, and that he was the epitome of an old-school footballer.
“West Ham is a family and that’s what I like about it. It’s about more than football.”
After Noble had surprised the 34-year-old, the two shared mutual respect in a moving meeting, before the 550-appearance midfielder signed a West Ham shirt Weston had worn at his father’s funeral and invited the photographer Weston to take a pitchside position at the Wolves game, which ended in a thrilling 3-0 Premier League victory for the Hammers.
“It’s an honour to meet you,” Noble told Weston. “It was an emotional day for me and it’s a real shame that your Dad wasn’t there, but he was there in spirit.
“I supported West Ham as a kid and gave my life to the Club, but you made a decision to do what you did… that was so unselfish and you’re a hero Matt, let me tell you.”
You can watch Matt Weston’s heart-warming story and see some of the images he took at London Stadium here.
To learn more about Blesma and its work with veterans visit http://www.blesma.org/
This Christmas, Blesma is asking you to support our Christmas Hamper Appeal, helping us to care for lonely and isolated veterans. Text 23HAMPER followed by your donation amount to 70085, or scan the QR Code on this page to donate £5.
