Do West Ham United debuts get any better than that of Freddie Sears?
The boyhood Hammer, born and raised in Hornchurch, on for his first-ever showing in Claret and Blue against Blackburn Rovers in March 2008, would score the winning goal for his Club.
A diving header, after his initial shot was saved, wrote Sears’ name into West Ham folklore forever more. Even now, almost 15 years on, Sears is asked about that moment.
The attacker, who has forged a commendable career with Colchester United and Ipswich Town since departing the Hammers, is only too happy to talk about the goal that made him a West Ham hero. The local boy who done good.
How different then, it could have been, had the lifelong West Ham fan instead signed terms south of the river with Millwall.
“I was born into a West Ham family,” Sears recalled. “Living in Hornchurch, all my family and friends were West Ham fans. It was a real West Ham area so, growing up, I’d go to all the games.
“I was nine or ten when I joined the Academy. It's a bit of a mad story because I was on trial at Millwall and set to sign for them. But then West Ham, through Jimmy Tindall and Jimmy Hampson, just as I was about sign, said to me ‘come to West Ham’.”
There are obvious similarities between Sears’ signing story and that of former captain Mark Noble, who retired at the end of the 2022/23 season.
“I actually watched the Mark Noble documentary the other night on YouTube and his story of signing for West Ham sounded quite similar to mine. The deal was there with Millwall, and they wanted me to sign. I’d been there for a six-week trial but West Ham saw me at a school game.
“My dad explained to the Club that I was set to sign for Millwall but they wanted to get me in. For me, supporting West Ham, it was a no-brainer. As a ten-year-old, there was no better feeling.”
ACADEMY ACQUAINTANCES
For a lad who grew up idolising Paolo Di Canio, Jermain Defoe and Frederic Kanoute, the chance to be a striker like his heroes – in the Claret and Blue – was a dream come true.
“I think the Academy was over at Fairlop Waters at the time. The first time walking in, and putting on the kit, it was special.
“I’ll always remember Jimmy Frith, he was an absolute legend. He was my first real coach at West Ham and, when I was there in the first team, he was still around. Paul Heffer was good for me as well. And then you get nearer and nearer the first team and you’ve got to talk about Tony Carr and Kevin Keen.
“When you get a bit older, the talks begin about whether you’re going to be good enough for the first team. The games become a little bit more serious and the aim then is try to get a contract. Back then, that was a YTS – a two-year scholarship. From there, the next aim was to get a first team contract.”
Freddie’s time in the Academy of Football was spent alongside names that will be familiar to West Ham United fans. James Tomkins, who would play 243 times for the Irons, was in the year above. So was future Wales international Jack Collison.
“James Tomkins was a year older than me, as was Jack Collison. They were second year YTS while I was doing my first. There was Zavon Hines, Tonks and JC, and then in my year it was me and Junior Stanislas. There’s a few others that fans might remember like Bondz N’Gala. We had a really good youth team at the time.
“In terms of going to make careers, a lot of the boys came through and made good careers in football. It may not have necessarily all been at West Ham, although a few of the boys did do very well for the Club, but it’s a great sign for the Academy that these lads all got to play good level football.”
DEBUT DAY DELIGHT
Impressive form at youth and reserve level game Sears the opportunity to train with the first team over at Chadwell Heath. The attacker got his first chance under Alan Pardew, one that was extended when Alan Curbishley was appointed manager.
He continued: “I remember my first training session with the first team and Teddy Sheringham actually dropped me back to Romford Stadium. I used to get two buses from Hornchurch to Chadwell Heath and I can remember walking out of the gates at Chadwell Heath and Teddy pulled up to me and asked ‘where are you going?’ That was a surreal moment for my first involvement in the first team environment.
“The start of that 2007/08 season I was playing some reserve football and scoring goals. Curbs had come in and I was training with the first team a bit more. But there were never any guarantees that you would play. You were relying on injuries a bit, and form of other players.
“Towards the end of that season, we were struggling a little bit so the manager gave me the chance to make my debut.”
Sears’s debut came on 15 March 2008, four days after he signed a new contract. In the senior squad for the first time, on the bench, he was introduced on 75 minutes in place of Nolberto Solano.
Less than six minutes later, he had the winning goal, heading in the rebound after his initial effort was saved. The image of Sears celebrating, giving the iconic ‘Irons’ sign with his arms to the ecstatic Boleyn Ground support, lives on in many memories.
“It’s mad because I probably would have taken just a minute on the pitch, just to be able to say I've played for West Ham,” he smiled.
“Debut-wise, you’re just not ready for what’s to come. I was just so happy to be on the bench that day. I can remember the day before, there was a chance of it happening, and I got to the stadium that day and I was involved. Just that feeling of warming up, it was mad.
“Everyone asks the question about what that was like, scoring, but it was such a blur. To come on and score to win the game, you can’t ask for a better West Ham debut in the Premier League.
“My mum and dad were in the crowd too, and it was such a surreal moment. I watched that goal back loads that night. Back then, it was just ‘Match Of The Day’ so I had to wait for that, press record, and then I watched it over and over again. Even now sometimes, I’ll still stick it on for a bit of a buzz.”
EVER-LASTING LOVE
Sears would end the 2008/09 season with seven first-team appearances, followed by a further 22 in all competitions in the 2009/20 campaign.
Loans with Crystal Palace, Coventry City and Scunthorpe United followed, before what Sears describes as his ‘best spell’ in the first team in 2011.
Despite his best efforts, including goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League.
In came Sam Allardyce and, with a raft of new signings, Sears found gametime difficult to come by. A loan to Colchester United in the second half of the 2011/12 season followed, before his departure from his beloved Club by mutual consent.
“It was difficult to leave, especially when you have a long affiliation with the Club. I support West Ham and I’d been there for so long, but you get to a stage in your career where I needed to be playing football. Obviously, I was gutted to be leaving but, on the other side, I was excited to go out and make a name for myself.
“I remember my last day at West Ham and, as I was leaving, I was crying. I just had that flood of memories of my time at the Club. I loved my time at West Ham but football moves on so quickly and, before I knew it, I was in a new dressing room.”
Despite the hardship of leaving West Ham, Sears was eager to just play football. The chance to sign permanently with Colchester proved to be the right one for the forward, who would become an immediate regular in their starting XI.
Such was Sears’ form, he earned a move to Championship side Ipswich Town in January 2015. The striker would play 217 games in six years for the Tractor Boys, scoring 34 goals and providing 25 assists.
“When I left West Ham I had a few offers, some a bit higher than Colchester, but my main thing with Colchester was I was staying at home and I was going to play.
“I think I had offers from Blackpool and from Watford at the time but there was no guarantee of playing. In the end, my decision worked. Within a couple of seasons of being with Colchester, I was back in the Championship with Ipswich Town and I stayed there with Mick McCarthy for six years.
Now back at Colchester, having re-joined last June, Sears is relishing the latter years of his professional career.
For the lifelong West Ham fan, though, nothing will ever compare to those magical, Academy days.
“I got a very good career in football. I played for Ipswich over 200 times and now I’m back in Colchester and still enjoying my football at 32-years-old.
“I always say to people that my best time in football was in the Academy, playing U18s football. I was with those boys every day and there wasn’t as much pressure, so it was just mates playing football and trying to win games. They were the best times.
“You turn into a band of brothers and that was probably my best time in football, those youth team days at West Ham.”
