It was on this day in 1998 that West Ham United achieved what remains the Club's record Premier League win.
Newly-promoted Barnsley arrived in east London bottom of the table and left the Boleyn Ground with their tails between their legs after suffering a 6-0 thrashing.
Samassi About notched a brace, while Stan Lazaridis, Frank Lampard, John Moncur and John Harrison also got in on the act as the Yorkshire side were blown away.
Harry Redknapp's side made it three Premier League wins in a row to rise to eighth in the table - the same position the Irons would finish the 1997/98 season in five months later. Barnsley's fortunes would not improve under manager Danny Wilson and they finished 19th and were relegated back to the First Division.
Here, we take a look at what happened next for the men who beat the Tykes exactly 25 years ago...
Craig Forrest
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 55
Now: Broadcaster
Canadian goalkeeper Craig Forrest spent all his professional career in England, following 12 years at Ipswich Town with a five-year stint in Claret and Blue, which ended in 2002 at the age of 34. After retiring, he has frequently appeared as a broadcaster on Canadian TV, analysing games for the Canada national team and MLS outfit Toronto FC.
Steve Potts
Position: Defender
Age: 55
Now: Academy Coach
Like his goalkeeper, Steve Potts was born in North America, in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, before moving to east London as a boy. An Academy of Football graduate, the versatile defender went on to play 505 games for West Ham United between 1985-2002, winning two Hammer of the Year awards. After retiring in 2003, he trained as a Black Cab driver before returning to the Hammers to coach in the Academy. He is currently coaching the U21s. Potts' sons Dan and Freddie play for Luton Town and West Ham's U21s respectively.
Stan Lazaridis
Position: Wing-back
Age: 50
Now: Entrepreneur
Stan Lazaridis was a winger who also featured at left-back, and popped up with one of his three Hammers goals in this match. He was spotted by Harry Redknapp whilst on the Club's Centenary tour of Australia in 1995 and subsequently spent four years in east London. He later played for Birmingham and Perth Glory and went to the 2006 FIFA World Cup with the Socceroos. He now works as a property entrepreneur.
David Unsworth
Position: Defender
Age: 49
Now: Manager
Lancastrian David sandwiched two lengthy spells at Everton by spending the 1997/98 season with West Ham United. He initially moved to Aston Villa after West Ham, but left without playing a game for the Villans to return to Goodison Park. After his playing days were over, he once again found himself back in the Blue corner of Merseyside, coaching Everton's U23s, before taking charge at National League club Oldham Athletic in September 2022.
Ian Pearce
Position: Defender
Age: 48
Now: Head of Recruitment
Ian Pearce was part of Blackburn Rovers' Premier League title-winning squad in 1994/95 before moving to West Ham United in 1997. The centre-back totaled 155 appearances across six-and-a-half seasons before moving to Fulham in January 2004. After hanging up his boots, he assisted former Blackburn teammate Chris Sutton at Lincoln City for a year, scouted for Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion and has been West Bromwich Albion's Head of Recruitment since November 2018.
Rio Ferdinand OBE
Position: Defender
Age: 44
Now: Broadcaster
Academy of Football graduate and Rio Ferdinand was just 19 when he was crowned 1997/98 Hammer of the Year. The centre-back became English football's most-expensive defender when he departed West Ham United for Leeds United for £18million in November 2000, before going on to win six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League during 12 seasons with Manchester United. Capped 81 times by England, Ferdinand is now a pundit for BT Sport and hosts the FIVE podcast. He was made an OBE in 2022.
Andy Impey
Position: Wing-back
Age; 51
Now: Academy Coach
West Londoner Andy moved across town from Queens Park Rangers, where he won three consecutive Player of the Year awards between 1993-95 to sign for West Ham United for £1.2million in 1997. The winger played 34 times in Claret and Blue, before joining Leicester City in November 1998 and winning the League Cup with the Foxes in 2000. Hammersmith-born Impey finished his playing career at Coventry City and is now back where it all began for him, working as assistant U23s coach at QPR, a role he has held since 2015.
Frank Lampard OBE
Position: Midfielder
Age: 44
Now: Manager
Romford-born Academy of Football graduate Frank Lampard is the son of two-time FA Cup winner and West Ham United all-time great, full-back Frank Lampard Senior. A goal-getting midfielder, the younger Lampard won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League after departing the Hammers for Chelsea in 2001. The 2005 FWA Footballer of the Year also won 106 England caps, scored 29 goals for his country and went to three FIFA World Cup finals. After finishing his playing career with Manchester City and New York City FC, he has since managed Derby County, Chelsea and, since January 2022, Everton. He was made an OBE in 2015.
Eyal Berkovic
Position: Midfielder
Age: 50
Now: Businessman
Playmaker Eyal Berkovic scored 12 goals and played his part in many more in 79 appearances for West Ham United. The Israel international joined from Maccabi Haifa for £1.75million in June 1997, having impressed during a loan spell at Premier League Southampton the previous season, and enjoyed an outstanding debut campaign in Claret and Blue. The Club made a big profit when they sold Berkovic to Scottish side Celtic for £5.75million in 1999. After spells with Manchester City and Portsmouth, the midfielder headed home to Israel to play for and later serve as general manager for Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 2015, he purchased Israeli second tier side Hapoel Rishon LeZion, but is no longer in that position.
John Hartson
Position: Striker
Age: 43
Now: Broadcaster
Big Welshman John Hartson signed for Harry Redknapp's West Ham United from Arsenal in February 1997 and made an immediate impact at the Club, combining with fellow new boy Paul Kitson in attack to help the Hammers away from Premier League relegation danger. Hartson plundered 24 goals in 1997/98, including 15 in the Premier League. He continued to score regularly at Wimbledon, following a £7.5million transfer in January 1999, Coventry City and Celtic. The Swansea-born striker overcome brain cancer in 2009 and has become a popular pundit on BT Sport, BBC Radio 5 Live, ITV and Welsh language channel S4C.
Samassi Abou
Position: Striker
Age: 49
Now: Academy Director
Samassi Abou's three-year spell with the Hammers did not produce the goals the Ivorian hoped for, but he did notch two in this game against the Tykes, giving him a place in the history books in the Club's record Premier League win. Signed from Cannes for just £250,000, Abou scored six goals in 31 appearances in Claret and Blue. After loans at Ipswich Town, Walsall and Kilmarnock, he returned to France and last played professionally for AC Ajaccio and Lorient before retiring in 2003. The boyhood Liverpool supporter headed home to Ivory Coast, where he runs the Red Academy for 11-17 year old players in the capital city, Abidjan.
Substitutes
Midfielder John Moncur, who spent eight-and-a-half years with the Hammers between 1994-2003, replaced the injured Impey on 31 minutes. Now 56, Moncur is a director of a company which recruits staff for the oil and gas industry. His son George came through the Academy of Football and now plays for EFL League Two side Leyton Orient.
Portuguese loanee Paulo Alves was enjoying a loan spell in east London from Sporting Lisbon when he replaced Eyal Berkovic with 13 minutes to play. Now 53, the Portugal international forward went on to play in France and his home country before embarking on a nomadic managerial career that has included stops in Portugal, Iran and Saudi Arabia. He is currently in charge at Portuguese second-tier club Moreirense.
