West Ham United FA Cup Kings 1975 - Signed by Alan Taylor

Own a piece of sporting history

West Ham United won only 13 of their 42 League matches during the 1974-75 season, while Fulham averaged exactly a point a match in the Second Division. Yet, such is the fickleness of Cup fortune that, against all the odds, two moderate sides fought their way through to the 1975 FA Cup Final.

The Hammers had won the Cup once, 11 years earlier in a 3-2 thriller against Preston.

Fulham were appearing in their first Final and they had featured in an amazing 11 Cup matches en route to Wembley. They had needed three games to see off Hull City in the Third Round and four to get past Nottingham Forest in Round 4.

The 1975 Final was one abounding in personalities. Alec Stock and Ron Greenwood had already tasted Wembley success as managers - and Fulham could boast two former England captains in Bobby Moore and Alan Mullery. However, it would be West Ham's Alan Taylor that would ultimately steal the show.

Fulham looked to be the better side in an indifferent first half, with the ball rarely in either penalty area except when defenders passed nervously back to the goalkeepers.

Centre-half John Lacy went close with powerful headers from Jimmy Conway's corner kick and Mullery's free kick. At the other end Trevor Brooking's volley from at least 30 yards soared high over the bar.

West Ham slowly but surely increased the pressure after the interval, making the breakthrough on the hour. Peter Mellor parried Bill Jennings' awkwardly swerving shot and the rebound was gratefully slammed home from six yards by Alan Taylor, who had only joined "Hammers" six months earlier from Fourth Division Rochdale.

The Eastenders scored an almost identical goal just four minutes later. Mellor failed to make a clean catch from Graham Paddon's hard shot and Taylor, the "Rochdale Whippet", again put the ball in. In a very sporting Final, intelligently refereed by Pat Partridge, neither trainer had set foot on the pitch.

Taylor's personal contribution to West Ham's cup victory was incredible, with a brace of goals in the quarter final, semi final and the final itself.

Personally signed

Each copy of West Ham FA Cup Winners 1975 was personally signed by Alan Taylor at a signing session completed on Wednesday 25th October 2006.

Strictly Limited Edition

Only 500 hand-numbered copies of this print will ever be produced. Once they have sold, no more will ever be produced.

Authenticity Guaranteed

This print will be independently authenticated by Grant Thornton using the Authenticate process. This means you can be 100% certain that the print is a strictly limited edition of 500 copies and that each one has been personally signed by Alan Taylor