HAMMERABILIA
1,000 Not Out

On 17 August 2024, in his first competitive match at London Stadium, West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui handed starting debuts to Maximilian Kilman and Guido Rodriguez. However, a milestone appearance record was secured in the 73rd minute of the match against Aston Villa when he brought on Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug for their debuts. Both players must be congratulated for becoming joint 1000th players to make a first team appearance in the club’s history.

Before Summerville and Fullkrug, a host of famous and not so famous names have helped the Hammers reach appearance landmarks.

The Century landmark was not clear-cut. Right-back James Blyth became the 101st player in a 3-2 Southern League defeat by Norwich City at Newmarket Road on 15 September 1906. Two-weeks earlier right-back William Wildman and outside-right David Lindsay both shared equally the 99th place on the list of players to represent West Ham when they were included in the starting XI on 1 September 1906 in the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Centre-half George Kay was the club's 200th player, making his debut on 8 September 1919 in a 2-0 Second Division loss to Bamsley at the Boleyn Ground. Kay went on to captain the Hammers in the first F.A. Cup final at Wembley Stadium against Bolton Wanderers in 1923, although on the losing side that day Kay steered West Ham to promotion to the First Division at the end of the league campaign.

The landmark 300th place was vacated as both goalkeeper; George Watson and inside-right Richard Deacon shared 299th position in the Boleyn Ground league game with Bradford City on 29 August 1932, thus propelling none other than Ted Fenton as the 301st player to pull on a Hammers shirt. Fenton went on to manage the club between 1950 and 1961. Forest Gate-born Fenton made his playing bow in the return fixture with Bradford City at their Valley Parade ground on 7 September 1932 in a 1-5 reverse.

Fenton was the man in charge when Harry Hooper became the 400th player in West Ham's history on 3 February 1951. A brace apiece from Gerry Gazzard and Bill Robinson marked the occasion with a 4-2 win over Barnsley at the Boleyn Ground. Hooper went on to serve the Hammers well, scoring 47 goals in 136 appearances.

A then club-record £80,000 signing in March 1968, Alan Stephenson became West Ham’s 500th player. The centre-half from Crystal Palace helped shore up the Hammers defence as his debut match was marked in a 0-0 deadlock at The Dell against Southampton on 16 March 1968. Stephenson notched up 118 appearances and a solitary goal. His consolation header came against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup third round four-minutes from time as the Hammers bowled-out at Ayresome Park on 3 January 1970.

With the club maintaining a consistent squad of players throughout the 1970s and 1980s, it would be another 22 years before the 600-mark was reached.

Defender Tim Breacker was the man to record that landmark, making the first of his 296 appearances for the club in a 1-0 win at the County Ground against Swindon Town on 20 October 1990. Over nine seasons Breacker tallied 296 appearances in Claret and Blue, scoring 8 goals.

The 700th milestone player to pull on a West Ham shirt was centre-forward Titi Camara. His Premier League appearance came two days after signing from Liverpool in a 1-2 defeat by Leicester City at their old Filbert Street ground on 23 December 2000. Unfortunately the £1.7m Guinean international failed to find the net in any of his 14 appearances.

Fast-forward eight-years and two players’ jointly share 800th position. With the recent appointment of Italian, Gianfrance Zola as the Club’s 12th permanent manager. The West Ham manger rewarded loan-signing Czech-born goalkeeper Jan Lastuvka and Walter Lopez who joined the Hammers on a one-year contract from River Plate in his homeland in Montevideo, Uruguay their debuts in the Football League Cup-tie at Vicarage Road against Watford on 23 September 2008.

Finally, the 900th position straddles three players, internationals Doneil Henry (Canada), Manuel Lanzini (Argentina) along with Youth Academy player Kyle Knoyle. The trio shared the 899th spot equally when they made their first team debuts in a Europa League Qualifier in Romania on 6 August 2015 against AFC Astra Giurgiu. The European tie also saw late substitute appearances for Jordan Brown (902) and Alex Pike (903).

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ASTON VILLA 1000th

Kosta Nedeljković created a slice of Aston Villa history in the same match as he became their club's 1,000th player. The right-back was introduced as an 82nd-minute substitute in Villa's 2-1 Premier League victory over the Hammers at London Stadium.