Saturday 26 January 2013

Geoff Pike West Ham Unsung Hero & Unvalued


Geoff made 372 appearances and scored 41 goals for West Ham in all competitions, until his departure in 1987

He joined West Ham United in 1972 as an apprentice and became professional in 1975.

He was a member of the side that reached the 1975 FA Youth Cup Final with Alvin Martin, Paul Brush, Alan Curbishley which Lost 5-1 to Ispwich.

His first full debut in a match where West ham beat Spurs 5-3 in 6th November 1976

In 1977 he both missed a penalty and scored in a historic match in which we beat Manchester Utd 4-2 which kept us up in the top flight of division one.

He picked his FA Cup winners medal in 1980 and Brian Clough described him as the Key man on ITV coverage after we beat Arsenal in the cup final. Others have described Pikey as an Un sung hero, the forgotten man, under valued and under appreciated during his time at  West Ham. 


He went on to be  a member of the team that became Division Two champions in 1980–81 & League Cup runners-up medal in 1981 after losing to Liverpool in the final

In 1986 when West Ham came 3rd he was one of the 86 Boys playing 10 games that year because of injury . His most famous goal was a screaming header on 9th March 1986 at Old Trafford in the FA Cup 5th round which can be seen below on youtube.



After West Ham he worked with the PFA for nine years before he obtained his coaching badge in 2004 and has worked for the FA for 6 years and now occupies the position of National Coach Educator.

I interviewed him on 25th January for the West Ham podcast Moore Than Just A Podcast for publication in two parts in early February.

The podcast is available at

http://www.moorethanjustapodcast.co.uk  on ITunes & Tunedin.com 

Here is what Trevor Brooking had to say about him with his amazing back spin goal against Wolves

 

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