I had a perfect view of Nigel Reo-Coker's header. It was the last minute of extra time in the 2006 FA Cup final, the score was 3-3 and West Ham had a free-kick on the left wing. It was their last chance to win a game they had already won twice. The ball came in, Reo-Coker glanced it on and from my position behind the Liverpool goal at the Millennium Stadium I was certain it was going to loop into the far corner.
I picture it sometimes: the ball hanging in the air, the fans getting ready to celebrate West Ham's fourth FA Cup win, Pepe Reina leaping to his left. There were fingertips in it. Reina just managed to push the ball onto the inside of the post and the dream died when Marlon Harewood, who had been hobbling on one leg for most of extra time, slashed the rebound wide.
Liverpool won on penalties because, well, how else was it going to end? The guy next to me had burst into tears when Steven Gerrard scored in the last minute of normal time.
Most fans never see their team win anything. Since 2006, West Ham have been relegated under Avram Grant, blown one League Cup semi-final against Birmingham City, lost 9-0 on aggregate to Manchester City in another and conceded in the first minute of a Europa League semi-final against the eventual winners, Eintracht Frankfurt. It has always been someone else's turn to celebrate.
This story is from the June 09, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the June 09, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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