Match of their day Big Alvin Martin hits a West Ham hat trick past three Newcastle

He can say that again. April 1986 and West Ham, managed by John Lyall, were still in the race for a league title they have never won and on course for their best top-flight finish.

Spurred on by the summer signings of Frank McAvennie from St Mirren and Mark Ward from Oldham, the Hammers pushed Liverpool and Everton all the way to finish third.

‘We were always accused of being too nice,’ Martin says. ‘Those signings of McAvennie and Ward made us a little angry.’

To be in contention in April was some achievement given the lop-sided nature of the season. Having been restricted to playing just four league games between Boxing Day and March due to severe weather in the south of England, West Ham faced no fewer than nine matches in 29 days in April.

Yet they won seven of them, including on April 21, against Newcastle United.

It was not just the scoreline (8-1) which made this 90 minutes exceptional, it was the fact that Martin, a central defender, scored a hat-trick. What’s more, he did so against three different Newcastle goalkeepers, the last of whom was Peter Beardsley.

‘Of the 586 games I played for West Ham, this is the one people always come back to,’ Martin says, ‘and they all say they were there.’

There were just under 25,000 present for the Hammers’ fourth home game in 13 days. Newcastle were 10th, having had a good season under Willie McFaul, with Beardsley their top scorer.

The Magpies’ keeper all season was Martin Thomas, but he had been injured in March. David McKellar was signed on loan from Hibernian as cover but he too had sustained an injury.

For a while, McKellar and Thomas alternated and at Upton Park, Thomas returned nursing a sore shoulder. By half-time, though, he also had a sore head.

Martin, an elegant, ball-playing centre half, was an occasional goalscorer. But he had played up front for Netherton Boys in his native Liverpool as a youth.

‘John McBride, who ran Netherton Boys, got me the trial at West Ham,’ says Martin. ‘Ron Greenwood, the then manager, did actually try me out as a striker in a trial game to see what I was like. He had turned Geoff Hurst into a centre forward and that turned out all right, didn’t it? Bobby Moore was watching. He said I was a centre half.’

When presented with a four-yard volley after just three minutes against Newcastle, it did not matter what position Martin was playing. He scored past Thomas to start the avalanche.

By half-time it was 4-0 and Newcastle were blowing bubbles.

Thomas did not re-emerge after the interval and in an era of one substitute, who was rarely a goalkeeper, winger Ian Stewart came on. Chris Hedworth, a young defender making his way at Newcastle, was chosen to replace Thomas in goal.

Hedworth could do nothing when Martin made it 5-0 on 64 minutes but worse was to come when Hedworth damaged a collarbone in a challenge with Tony Cottee.

Although Billy Whitehurst had scored for Newcastle, a very small consolation goal, Hedworth’s injury meant he could not continue in goal.

Beardsley, the 5ft 8in England inside forward, would not seem like the obvious choice, but he became Newcastle’s third keeper of the game.

‘I’d roomed with Peter on England duty,’ says Martin, ‘so I knew him. We’d play pool together.’

Paul Goddard made it 6-1 and McAvennie added a seventh. With six minutes to go, West Ham were awarded a penalty for handball by Glenn Roeder (who, of course, would later become their manager). Ray Stewart was the Hammers’ hammer when it came to penalties. The Scot was lethal from 12 yards.

But as Stewart collected the ball ‘the crowd all started singing my name’, Martin says. Stewart handed it over and Martin was