There were three signings made to strengthen the defence. Centre-half John Cushley arrived from Celtic, and also from Scotland came goalkeeper Bobby Ferguson, at £65,000 a record fee for a British goalkeeper. Most significantly, right-back Billy Bonds was signed from Charlton for £50,000. During his time at Upton Park he was to become a legend and his signing was one of the shrewdest bargains in West Ham’s history.

The new boys took time to settle, with only one win in the first six games, which included a 5–1 defeat at Tottenham. Results improved with a 5–1 victory at Sunderland followed by another 5–1 win at Walsall in the League Cup. There were still defensive worries as after leading 3–0 against Stoke City at home there was a complete collapse, Stoke scoring four goals in seven minutes to win 4–3.

Geoff Hurst scored all four goals as Bolton Wanderers were beaten 4–1 in the League Cup, but the Hammers bowed out in the next round after losing 2–0 at Huddersfield Town. By late December the team were in nineteenth place but the Christmas period brought three welcome victories. After Tottenham were beaten 2–1 at home there were back-to-back 4–2 victories against Leicester City, which saw Brian Dear score a hat-trick at home and two more in the away game.

The FA Cup trail started well with a 3–1 win at Burnley and followed up with a 3–0 victory at Stoke City. In between these ties had been a 7–2 demolition of Fulham at Upton Park. In the fifth-round home tie with Sheffield United the Hammers played poorly and lost 2–1.

After a run of five league games without a win a young Trevor Brooking scored a hat-trick in the home game with Newcastle United where the Hammers scored five without reply. There were mixed results in the remaining games of the season, which saw the Hammers finish in a mid-table position of twelfth. With three World Cup winners in the side, the supporters expected a better showing.