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1947-48 Football League Second Division

Manager : Charlie Paynter

The Hammers found themselves losing 3–0 after 30 minutes at Bradford Park Avenue on the opening day of the season, and were finally beaten 4–1. Two tough home and away clashes with Millwall followed, which both ended 1–1. It was a memorable debut for left-winger Ken Tucker as he scored a hat-trick in the 4–0 home win against Chesterfield. The following week at Newcastle there were 55,767 to see the Hammers narrowly lose 1–0, after which there was an unbeaten run of seven games. West Ham were sixth in the league when they faced Sheffield Wednesday in two Christmas encounters. The Yorkshire club proved too strong, winning 5–3 at home and beating the Hammers 4–1 in the return at Upton Park.

The FA Cup brought an away tie with Blackburn Rovers where the teams drew 0–0. The Lancashire side won the replay 4–2 after extra time. On their travels there were excellent 1–0 victories for West Ham at Coventry City and at league leaders Birmingham City. But at home both West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United won 2–0 to leave the Hammers in eighth place.

The Easter fixtures gave the Hammers a double over Cardiff City, where Bill Stephens scored a hat-trick in the 3–0 win at Ninian Park. On Easter Monday he scored again in the 4–2 win at the Boleyn Ground. In April it was a disaster at Chesterfield, with the home side scoring three goals in the final six minutes to give them a 6–0 victory. The season ended with a run of three undefeated games to leave the Hammers in sixth place with a mostly settled side. Four players – goalkeeper Ernie Gregory, defenders Steve Forde and Norman Corbett, together with forward Eric Parsons – were ever-present.

Note:

Players in BOLD made their debuts for West Ham United

BRADFORD PARK AVENUE
Park Avenue
1 - 4 (Walker)
23 August 1947
Att: 14,523

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

MILLWALL
Upton Park
1 - 1 (Woodgate)
25 August 1947
Att: 25,741

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Upton Park
2 - 1 (Parsons, Hutchinson [og])
30 August 1947
Att: 19,416

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

MILLWALL
The Den
1 - 1 (Small)
1 September 1947
Att: 15,961

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

DONCASTER ROVERS
Belle Vue
0 - 1
6 September 1947
Att: 21,198

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Upton Park
1 - 1 (Parsons)
8 September 1947
Att: 25,732

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

SOUTHAMPTON
Upton Park
2 - 0 (Hall, Wood)
13 September 1947
Att: 20,709

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
White Hart Lane
2 - 2 (Parsons, Wood)
15 September 1947
Att: 33,415

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BURY
Gigg Lane
2 - 1 (Proudlock, Wood)
20 September 1947
Att: 17,488

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

COVENTRY CITY
Upton Park
1 - 0 (Proudlock)
27 September 1947
Att: 27,087

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

CHESTERFIELD
Upton Park
4 - 0 (Tucker 3, Proudlock)
4 October 1947

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

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11

Our

NEWCASTLE UNITED
St James' Park
0 - 1
11 October 1947
Att: 55,767

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BIRMINGHAM CITY
Upton Park
0 - 0
18 October 1947
Att: 32,228

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

WEST BROMWICH ALBION
The Hawthorns
2 - 1 (Wright 2)
25 October 1947
Att: 37,764

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BARNSLEY
Upton Park
2 - 1 (Moroney, Small)
1 November 1947
Att: 27,877

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
Home Park
1 - 1 (Parsons)
8 November 1947
Att: 29,477

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

LUTON TWN
Upton Park
0 - 0
15 November 1947
Att: 30,535

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BRENTFORD
Griffin Park
1 - 1 (Small)
22 November 1947
Att: 24,105

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

LEICESTER CITY
Upton Park
1 - 1 (Woodgate [pen])
29 November 1947
Att: 22,860

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

LEEDS UNITED
Elland Road
1 - 2 (Wright)
6 December 1947
Att: 21,866

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

FULHAM
Upton Park
3 - 0 (Moroney, Parsons, Wright)
13 December 1947
Att: 27,332

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BRADFORD PARK AVENUE
Upton Park
0 - 0
20 December 1947
Att: 24,412

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
Hillsborough
3 - 5 (Corbett, Parsons, Woodgate)
26 December 1947
Att: 37,557

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
Upton Park
1 - 4 (Stephens)
27 December 1947
Att: 28,480

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

NOTTINGHAM FOREST
City Ground
1 - 2 (Woodgate)
3 January 1948
Att: 26,141

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BLACKBURN ROVERS : FA Cup (Third Round)
Ewood Park
0 - 0
10 January 1948
Att: 32,500

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BLACKBURN ROVERS : FA Cup (Third Round Replay)
Upton Park
2 - 4 (Parsons, Stephens)
17 January 1948
Att: 30,000

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

DONCASTER ROVERS
Upton Park
2 - 1 (Parsons 2 [1 pen])
24 January 1948
Att: 17,082

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

SOUTHAMPTON
The Dell
1 - 3 (Wright)
31 January 1948
Att: 20,039

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BURY
Upton Park
2 - 0 (Forde, Woodgate)
7 February 1948
Att: 19,247

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

COVENTRY CITY
Highfield Road
1 - 0 (Wright)
14 February 1948
Att: 24,851

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

CHESTERFIELD
Saltergate
21 February 1948

Postponed : Snow

NEWCASTLE UNITED
Upton Park
0 - 2
28 February 1948
Att: 33,788

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BIRMINGHAM CITY
St Andrews
1 - 0 (Dunn)
6 March 1948
Att: 43,709

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Upton Park
0 - 2 
13 March 1948
Att: 25,170

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BARNSLEY
Oakwell
1 - 1 (Parsons)
20 March 1948
Att: 18,905

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

CARDIFF CITY
Ninian Park
3 - 0 (Stephens 3)
26 March 1948
Att: 41,700

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
Upton Park
1 - 1 (Stephens)
27 March 1948
Att: 22,102

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

CARDIFF CITY
Upton Park
4 - 2 (Wright 2, Parsons[pen], Stephens)
29 March 1948
Att: 31,667

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

LUTON TOWN
Kenilworth Road
0 - 0
3 April 1948
Att: 15,059

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

CHESTERFIELD
Recreation Ground
0 - 6
7 April 1948
Att: 11,914

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

BRENTFORD
Upton Park
0 - 1
10 April 1948
Att: 21,471

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

LEICESTER CITY
Filbert Street
3 - 1 (Hall, Wade, Woodgate
17 April 1948
Att: 25,156

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

LEEDS UNITED
Upton Park
2 - 1 (Parsons, Woodgate)
24 April 1948
Att: 13,549

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

LEEDS UNITED
Upton Park
2 - 1 (Parsons, Woodgate)
24 April 1948
Att: 13,549

Player 1

Player 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Our

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