The Premier League fixtures for the 2022/23 season are nearly here!
With the Hammers' schedule for the new campaign set to be announced at 9am on Thursday, David Moyes will be looking to build on another historic season.
In 2021/22, West Ham had a special Premier League campaign, finishing seventh in the League to earning qualification to the UEFA Conference League.
With all eyes on that first game of the 2022/23 campaign, let's cast an eye back on some memorable opening day encounters.
Newcastle United 2-4 West Ham United, 15 August 2021
Last season's dismantling of the Magpies at St James Park saw the Hammers pick up our first opening day win for six years, after a run of difficult debut fixtures. The first half proved challenging, with Newcastle taking the lead after just five minutes via Callum Wilson's headed strike, after some spectacular skill on the wing by Allan Saint-Maximin.
Aaron Creswell's equaliser just 13 minutes later was, however, not enough to put the Irons up at half-time, as another headed goal, this time by Jacob Murphy, saw Newcastle take the lead in the 41st minute.
West Ham came out in devastating fashion after the break, netting three times in just 13 minutes. An immense challenge from Declan Rice high up the pitch gave Jarrod Bowen the opportunity to play an incisive pass into Michail Antonio, whose stretching cross perfectly set up Saïd Benrahma for the headed finish, and his second Premier League goal.
Shortly after, Antonio's redirection of Vladimír Coufal's cross crashed off the crossbar, and in an attempt to prevent the second chance finish, Murphy took out Pablo Fornals in the box. Antonio's penalty slipped out of Newcastle keeper Freddy Woodman's hands, and Tomáš Souček's fast reactions proved effective as he was able to convert the rebound to give the visitors the lead.
Antonio's rocketed finish in the 66th minute, after an imperious counter attack driven by Benrahma, saw the Hammers cap off their 13 minute rout, and meant Antonio had tied West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio's record for 47 Premier League goals; Michail would go on to break this record in our 4-1 victory over Leicester City.
Arsenal 0-2 West Ham United, 9 August 2015
The previous time West Ham took all three points on the opening day of the season was six years earlier, in an thrilling 2-0 victory at Arsenal, kickstarting a thrilling season in which the club finished seventh in the top flight.
In the 2014/15 Premier League season, after the club's impressive form found them in fourth place at Christmas, a difficult run saw the Hammers slip to 12th place come summer. This left much to build on in the historic 2015/16 campaign, which marked the final year at the Boleyn Ground, West Ham's home since 1904.
Opening the season against a strong Arsenal side was a daunting challenge, especially for youngster Reece Oxford, who at 16 was the seventh youngest player to start a match in Premier League history. Nevertheless, the Irons responded, after a fantastic free kick from Dimitri Payet found Cheikhou Kouyaté, who broke from the pack to head home and put West Ham 1-0 up just before half time.
The pressure didn't subside in the second half, as Mauro Zarate was able to win back the ball on the edge of the box before driving the ball low in the bottom left corner, confirming Petr Čech's nightmare debut for the Gunners. West Ham would hold out against a late push from Arsenal, to secure the victory in manager Slaven Bilić's first league game in charge.
West Ham United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur, 7 August 1999
Looking back further, one very memorable opening day fixture was our 1-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in 1999, via a clinical finish from Frank Lampard on the stroke of half-time.
In the previous s season the club achieved their highest Premier League finish to date, at fifth place, and therefore earned qualification to the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Prior to the opening Premier League fixture on 7 August 1999, West Ham had already been victorious in two knockout ties of the European tournament against Jokerit, of Finland, and Dutch side Heerenveen, placing them in the final of the competition, with the first leg against Metz just three days after the match against Spurs.
The first league game of the season saw West Ham field a strong team, with Rio Ferdinand, Steve Potts, Lampard, Trevor Sinclair, Paolo Di Canio and Joe Cole all making appearances. This match would also feature new signing Stuart Pearce's debut.
West Ham started strongly, hitting the bar from a corner within the opening minutes. Two excellent saves from keeper Ian Walker kept Spurs in the game before Lampard was able to convert after a defence splitting pass by Di Canio. Spurs managed to exert some pressure towards the end of the game, despite falling to ten men due to injury, with Tim Sherwood missing a free header with just 15 minutes to spare.
Nevertheless, manager Harry Redknapp was able to lead the team to victory against a Tottenham team featuring players such as Sol Campbell and David Ginola. The match would provide a springboard for another successful season, with the club winning the Intertoto Cup, earning qualification to the UEFA Cup and achieving a ninth place finish in the league, led by a historic season from Di Canio.
West Ham United 5-2 Notts County, 19 August 1978
In a blast from the past, West Ham's highest scoring opening day fixture came in their 5-2 dismantling of Notts County, back on 19 August 1978. The season prior was a disappointing First Division campaign where the Hammers were relegated in 20th place, finishing just one point below Queens Park Rangers after a loss on the final day against Liverpool.
Despite facing relegation, the core starters opted to remain at the club, many of whom would be responsible for winning the FA Cup and promotion back to the top flight in the two following seasons. The match with Notts County was the club's first Division Two game since the 1957/58 season, and the Irons were hoping for a swift return to the top flight of English Football.
On a sunny August afternoon, David Cross scored a hat trick with a Notts County own goal and a finish from Alan Devonshire completing the rout. Other notables featuring in the match were legend Billy Bonds, who in 2018 had a stand at London Stadium named after him, Frank Lampard Sr, Trevor Brooking, Bryan 'Pop' Robson and Alan Curbishley. West Ham would go on to finish fifth and had to wait until the 1980/81 season to return to the top flight, when they were able to win the division, gaining promotion, and reaching the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals in the same season.
As we keenly await the announcement of the fixtures for the 2022/23 Premier League season, West Ham will be hopeful for another strong start to the season, kickstarting a campaign to remember.
Remember, whufc.com is the place to be at 9am on Thursday to learn our schedule for the 2022/23 campaign - with news of our fixtures landing here and across our app and social channels.
by Oliver Blair