Monday, November 28, 2005
Racecourse Days & Nights #2: Wrexham 1 West Ham United 1
(FA Cup Third Round - January 4 1997)
There must be something about the fourth of January. On the fifth aniversary of victory over Arsenal, the Racecourse once again welcomed top-league opposition for the FA Cup Third Round. The pitch was blanketed with snow, and Hammers boss Harry Redknapp was less than pleased that the match went ahead. He remarked after the match that "no one could play football on that surface". Wrexham, on the other hand, had few problems adjusting to playing on frozen snow, and took the lead within five minutes of the kick off.
Bryan Hughes popped up to head the goal, after Brian Carey had redirected a Gareth Owen corner across the face of the goal. West Ham were spurred into action by conceding, and managed to level just before the break. As Andy Marriot strayed off his line, Hugo Porfirio (who Redknapp famously claimed had "never seen snow" before that day) delicately placed a spectacular lob into the Wrexham goal, from 30 yards out. Honours even at half-time.
In the second half, West Ham completely dominated the play, and the trio of Porfirio, Michael Hughes and Steve Jones created chance after chance without managing to score. Porfirio looked like he might score another spectacular strike, but his overhead effort went wide. Wrexham held on, however, to force a replay. After the game, Bryan Flynn admitted that West Ham would be favourites in the replay at Upton Park, but Wrexham once again confounded expectations, going on to win that match 1-0 on a run all the way to the Quarter Finals.
Click here for more.
There must be something about the fourth of January. On the fifth aniversary of victory over Arsenal, the Racecourse once again welcomed top-league opposition for the FA Cup Third Round. The pitch was blanketed with snow, and Hammers boss Harry Redknapp was less than pleased that the match went ahead. He remarked after the match that "no one could play football on that surface". Wrexham, on the other hand, had few problems adjusting to playing on frozen snow, and took the lead within five minutes of the kick off.
Bryan Hughes popped up to head the goal, after Brian Carey had redirected a Gareth Owen corner across the face of the goal. West Ham were spurred into action by conceding, and managed to level just before the break. As Andy Marriot strayed off his line, Hugo Porfirio (who Redknapp famously claimed had "never seen snow" before that day) delicately placed a spectacular lob into the Wrexham goal, from 30 yards out. Honours even at half-time.
In the second half, West Ham completely dominated the play, and the trio of Porfirio, Michael Hughes and Steve Jones created chance after chance without managing to score. Porfirio looked like he might score another spectacular strike, but his overhead effort went wide. Wrexham held on, however, to force a replay. After the game, Bryan Flynn admitted that West Ham would be favourites in the replay at Upton Park, but Wrexham once again confounded expectations, going on to win that match 1-0 on a run all the way to the Quarter Finals.
Click here for more.
