Phil Sumbler
It’s FA Cup Third Round week and no matter how much the “special” feeling around the FA Cup may have dipped over the years the Third Round always brings back many memories for football fans everywhere.
Over the course of the build up this week on Planet Swans we will bring you some special memories of the past – not always good ones – but some memorable Third round clashes none the less.
Today we are back in 1999 and the first time that a club from the fourth tier had beaten a Premier League club. History for Swansea City on a famous night at the Vetch.
1999 – History for the Swans as West Ham are dumped out
The Premier League (as it is known today) was formed at the start of the 1992-93 season as a breakaway of the ‘top’ clubs from the football league and, as most things are in football now, was driven by money with the Big 5 at the time (Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham and Manchester United) creating something that would see TV money distributed only amongst the teams in that division.
By the time the 1998/99 season had come around, the Premiership was growing in popularity (and value) and when the Swans were drawn away to Premiership side West Ham, no side from the lowest division in the Football League had beaten a Premiership side in the FA Cup since its inception. That was until Swansea City created another little bit of football history.
Having arrived in the Third Round with very credible wins over Millwall (3-0) and Stoke (1-0) at the Vetch, the Swans arrived in East London in confident mood backed by – as ever – a vocal support, but expected to exit the competition against their top flight opponents.
02 January 1999
West Ham 1 Swansea 1
Upton Park, London
Attendance: 26,039
Biographer of Swansea City FC, David Farmer, said that ‘had the Swansea supporters travelled to Upton Park believed all they read in the papers, they would not have bothered to go’. Such opinions from experts however did not put off a small army of loyal supporters with high hopes travelling down to London. Despite being outnumbered, the Swansea fans were able to offer great vocal support which aided their team to unexpectedly outplay their famous opponents. Patriotism and pride was also displayed by the manager John Hollins who carried out his away match habit of placing a Welsh flag in his dugout. Unfortunately for the Swans, a Hammers equaliser that goalkeeper Roger Freestone could have prevented ending up in the back of the net made the score 1-1 at the dying stages cancelling out Jason Smith’s earlier goal and denying them a famous win at Upton Park that their endeavours deserved.
13 January 1999
Swansea City 1 West Ham 0
The Vetch Field, Swansea
Attendance: 10,116
As had now become traditional there was a 10 day break for replays in the competition and it was on the night of 13 January 1999 that more than 10,000 crammed into the Vetch to watch that piece of FA Cup history being made.
Providing an abundance of loud Welsh voices, the supporters created an intimidating atmosphere hoping to help carry their team on to a well fought win. Many fervent fans had queued outside the Vetch a week in advance eagerly hoping to get hold of match tickets. On the date of the game the rain had also lashed down upon the pitch all day providing the ingredients for a lively encounter. Harry Redknapp’s West Ham was able to boast a team with a wealth of talented players which included the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and also Swansea born John Hartson. Such big names however counted for nothing that night as Swansea produced another brave team performance and this time overcame the Premiership side.
Both sides played fast paced football that was end to end creating an enthralling cup game. West Ham showed their Premiership qualities early on with Lampard in particular demonstrating his flair. However, it was Swansea midfielder Martin Thomas who was to be the man who made the headlines that night by producing a handful of impressive chances throughout the match, one being an in swinging free kick that rattled against the post. It was Thomas’s next effort though that was able to put the Swans ahead against their London opponents. His goal came on the 29th minute through an outstanding volley from twenty yards out that swerved manically to trick Hammers goalkeeper Shaka Hislop who could do little to recover from his error and palmed the ball into his net.
The entire stadium erupted into a state of euphoria as Swansea demonstrated why the F.A. Cup can be so magic, with minnow clubs being given the opportunity to accomplish the unexpected by overcoming teams considered superior. Extraordinarily, Thomas was able to play despite being in pain from a broken knee cap caused by an earlier challenge. Freestone had to be at his best throughout and was able to make amends for his error at Upton Park by tipping away Neil Ruddock’s vicious shot from outside the box late in the second half to preserve Swansea’s slender lead.
It was a save that Martin Thomas described as ‘the best save’ he had ‘ever seen’ and it brought two Swansea players to their knees in relief while the fans had their hearts in their mouths as they feared a repeat occurrence of the away tie. Despite West Ham’s impressive work rate, they proved unable to break down a Swansea side that had played out of their skins and had defended valiantly to hold on to their lead.
The Swans run in the competition was ended 10 days later when another Premiership side – Derby County – triumphed at the Vetch thanks to a late goal from Kevin Harper but it will always be the name of the Swans that will be in the history books for the win and it will always be remembered as another momentous night under the Vetch Field floodlights.
West Ham went onto finish 5th in the Premiership table that season.
