By Patrick Lay
West Ham United v Pompey (League Cup 1st Round) – Saturday 8th August 2026
When the new season’s fixtures are released, there is always a buzz of anticipation amongst fans as to when are we are playing that team at home and when are we going to that ground. In a change from the usual curtain raiser, this season the EFL clubs would start the 2026-27 campaign with the League Cup 1st round. It just so happens that Pompey’s first match happened to be at the gigantic London Stadium (the centrepiece of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics) as we were drawn away to newly relegated West Ham United in the Southern section of the competition.
It is a trophy both sides are yet to win with Pompey’s best achievement being five quarter final appearances whilst West Ham have twice been finalists.
Cup matches always mean an increased away allocation, and it took Pompey fans within one day of going on sale to snap up all 9,000 of our generous ticket allocation as the Blue Army would descend on Stratford which I was lucky enough to be one of at the incredible bargain price of just £10.
I set off early on Saturday morning to make the journey from Birmingham for one of few away games I have longer to travel to than the majority of our fan base. But before I arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, I hopped on the tube for a history lesson into today’s hosts.
Originally West Ham United FC were called Thames Ironworks FC, born out of Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company (hence the club nicknames ‘The Irons’ and ‘The Hammers’) in 1895 with Oxford Blue as their original jersey colour. In their maiden season as a club, their first ever ground was at Hermit Road in Canning Town (about a 15-minute walk from West Ham tube station). Initially they played just friendly and local cup matches before inducted into the recently formed London League in summer 1896.
However, just a few months later the club I understand they were evicted and the site was then converted into Hermit Road Recreational Ground which its still used as today. Thames Ironworks FC moved temporarily to Browning Road over in East Ham. But happier times occurred as the club moved back to Canning Town to the Memorial Grounds (adjacent to Hermit Road) in 1897 and just a year later joined the Southern League.
It was difficult to pinpoint on Google Maps exactly where their interim abode was in East Ham and as it was now around 1pm, I sensibly got off only at West Ham tube station just to photograph the vast Memorial Grounds a short walk from the station. Today the site is still used for sports recreation, most notably East London Rugby Club as well as other football facilities. Pictured below is a view of this facing south where (on the zoomed in photo) there is a great view of the Canary Wharf skyline.
As Thames Ironworks climbed the Southern League and turned professional, due I understand to rules at the time, Thames Ironworks FC folded in 1900, but club chairman and owner of Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company Arnold Hills founded a certain limited company called West Ham United FC who would take their place in the Southern League. Then a few other key changes took place. Firstly, claret & blue became their new shirt colour in 1903. Then the following year the club were on the move again, this time to open market-garden land just off of Green Street we all know.
As West Ham United grew in stature, they were elected to the Football League shortly after the First World War in 1919 (part of the incredible 30 tenure of manager Syd King) and a year in fact before Pompey were first elected. It was back on the District Line for me to Upton Park station to check out West Ham’s iconic former home and surroundings.
As I exited the station onto Green Street, it was great to see how busy the area remains with a great range of different South Asian shops. Plus the open-air and indoor Queens Market renowned for its mixture of fresh produce, fish, meat, textiles and household goods stalls. Ironically this was formed in 1904 the same year when the ‘Happy Hammers’ moved just down the road.
Next door is one of the most hardcore of West Ham pubs called (funny enough) The Queens that was built around the late 1960s. It is still populated by Hammers fans today on matchdays.
Heading south on Green Street (which incidentally is the boundary between West and East Ham), it isn’t long before the telltale sign of where the football ground used to be with new apartment blocks opposite the late Victorian/Edwardian terraced houses on Green Street.
When the football ground opened in 1904, it was originally called ‘Boleyn Castle’ (subsequently The Boleyn Ground) after the neighbouring Green Street House that existed. According to local legend this was frequented by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. The former football ground was more broadly referred to as Upton Park after the local area itself and operated as one of the most quintessential football grounds in the UK until the club relocated to the London Stadium a decade ago.
As I wondered through The Hammers former ground, there were predictable nods to the club’s routes with road names like Thunderer Street, Shipbuilding Way and Ironworks Way.
Plus of course the blocks were named after club legends, such as one of their former popular managers who in back-to-back seasons won West Ham the FA Cup, (what is now) the Championship and a League final appearance.
Pictured below is a view of Priory Road which ran behind the legendary Chicken Run terrace along the side at Upton Park. I remember queuing on this road in my only visit to the stadium when Pompey won 4-2 in March 2006 in the Premier League, en route to our ‘Great Escape’ that season.
There are obvious mutual connections between ourselves and West Ham most notably from our Premier League era, but I also learnt that HMS Warrior (situated of course in Portsmouth Harbour) was built by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company during the Victorian era.
Personally, I’ve always liked West Ham (even if it was heartbreaking when they pipped us to promotion to the Premier League at the final hurdle in 1993). Embedded in the proud working-class East End, culturally their fans are of a similar ilk to Pompey with such a partisan and fierce loyalty to their club. With it’s close proximity to the pitch, Upton Park had a real earthiness to it and had a reputation as one of the most intimidating grounds in the country guaranteed to generate an electric atmosphere.
Many fans outside of this part of the world may have forgotten that since the Taylor Report, West Ham had replaced three sides of Upton Park with contemporary all seater stands. In fact the plush new main stand with executive boxes and of course the mock castle facade was completed as recently as 2001 giving them a modern-day all-seater capacity of 35k.
I was very impressed with these re-developments and as a fan of club who getting a modern-day stadium is still at large, I remember thinking what a great example of not needing to relocate and if they also replaced the remaining old (East) stand with something bigger and better to get it to around 40k this would be one of the best football stadiums in the country. But on reflection, the moment London (and this side of the capital in particular), were confirmed as hosts for the 2012 Summer Olympics was the beginning of the end for the Boleyn Ground. More on that a little later!
Moving onto West Ham’s trophy cabinet, whilst playing at Upton Park The Hammers amassed a respectable collection. After losing in the famous ‘White Horse’ first ever FA Cup final at Wembley in 1923, The Hammers went on to collect their first piece of major silverware of some description with the 1940 War Cup. Ironically there was damage caused in the south west corner of the ground and club offices during The Blitz.
Although West Ham were not one of the traditional historic giants of English football, the club really arrived on the scene at the turn of the 1960s. The North Bank became a covered terrace, boosting the atmosphere even further, then in 1964 the club won the FA Cup for the first time before returning to Wembley the following year to secure the European Cup Winners Cup just for good measure. Two further FA Cups would follow in 1975 and 1980 (the latter making them the last club to date from outside the top flight to do so). Then just three years ago, since relocating across to the London Stadium, they can also boast winning the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Despite becoming a household name over the past 60 odd years, West Ham United are yet to be crowned Champions of England making them (all things considered) surely the biggest and most glamorous club not to have won the title so far. Although in 1986 they achieved a highly commendable third place finish behind two star-studded sides in Liverpool and Everton.
Further kudos for The Hammers is that they are currently one of only eight clubs in England who (since being elected to the Football League) have only ever played in the top two divisions. Plus they remain one of a select few clubs yet to lose to non-league opposition in the FA Cup.
As I wondered back through the new apartment blocks, pictured below, it is nice to see that the old centre circle of the hallowed turf remains along with a plaque to mark this and a time capsule for the most legendary of all West Ham legends.
There was still time to wander down to the far end of Green Street to check out two must see sites that are as claret and blue related as they come. Firstly, The Boleyn Tavern on the junction with Barking Road (built in the late Victorian times) which indeed for home games was one of THE pubs for diehard Hammers fans. Thankfully is still also has a match-day popularity for creatures of habit.
Then on the other side of Barking Road is a revered statue not just for fans of the East End club but England fans as a whole. Known officially as The World Cup Sculpture “The Champions”. This of course depicts four of the heroes of the Three Lions 1966 World Cup winning team. Three of which (Martin Peters, Sir Geoff Hirst and Bobby Moore) need absolutely no introduction for their place in West Ham folklore.
It was time to leave my trip down memory lane and catch the tube over to Stratford and savour the Olympic Park again. Something me and my wife have such lovely memories of from the Paralympics fourteen years ago.
On arrival at Stratford station, there is an instant contemporary feel to the area with the artistic Stratford Shoal sculpture in front of the Stratford shopping centre which was installed ahead of London 2012.
Then as you turn left and cross over railway line you pass through the hugely impressive Westfield shopping centre. In sharp contrast to Upton Park, you could be forgiven for not expecting one moment there to be a football stadium just under a mile walk from this vast retail and entertainment complex. Although as pictured below, a directional sign held up by one of the stewards suggests that maybe there is afterall. Plus a pub and dining room called The Cow which is now one of the match day haunts for Irons fans.
It was once I made my way out of Endeavour Square and across the other railway bridge that I felt real goosebumps as memories of 2012 came flooding back. All of a sudden you see the spectacular sites of the London Aquatics Centre on the left and just behind it the ArcelorMittal Orbit 360 (the tallest sculpture in the UK in fact). Then of course the Olympic (London) Stadium itself. What an amazing time summer of honour and togetherness that was for our country that I would love to see much more of again.
As I followed the crowds on Stratford Walk, I took another selfie to rubber stamp my memory of the day. Plus a photo of Waterworks River (facing north) underneath with a party boat of Hammers fans no doubt embroidering their first game of the season.
With so much to pack into the day, there was no time to relax and enjoy the lovely green open spaces on the Olympic Park. So much so that I tactically ate my lunchtime meal deal on the tube en route to East London to save time. I still just about had time to go the extra mile (literally), by heading to the other end of the park to see the fabulous velodrome (Lee Valley VeloPark). But firstly passed by the distinctive looking V&A East Museum which only opened in April this year. For those who know your UK architecture, it reminded me at first glance of the elephant building in Coventry. This cultural, creativity and heritage venue (which incredibly is free admission) is definitely one for the bucket list another time I’m in London.
Lee Valley VeloPark is another fantastic structure that I just about had time to photograph as it was half two and required a sprint into the blazing heat to get to the stadium on time – Sir Mo Farrah and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, eat your heart out!
After making my way through the security checks on London Way I inadvertently stumbled on the imposing looking Olympic bell.
It was time for my own final lap as I got a close up snap of the stadium’s exterior before getting to my seat for the players entrance with minutes to spare. Never in doubt, hey!
As you first enter the stadium (in my case the lower tier of the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand) you can’t help but be blown away by its magnitude and immersive feeling with the bowl effect. Plus the striking triangular floodlights retained from London 2012 after the stadium was re-roofed for its use for football.
It was time for the new season as the players made their way out to West Ham club anthem ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles ‘over the PA system which was matched equal by the vociferous Pompey Chimes from the 9,000 travelling Blue Army as our players came to greet us in their new yellow and blue away kit.
As the game got underway there was some good attacking play from both sides with Pompey playing without fear against a side who have still retained some key players from the Premier League last season.
Pompey won a couple of corners in the opening minutes but were unable capitalise. Then after six minutes, following some good built-up play from the back, Adrian Segečić played a nice ball through to Colby Bishop who was in on goal, but the Pompey striker was adjudged to have fouled defender Konstantinos Mavropanos as the Hammers were awarded a free kick. There were no clear-cut chances in the opening exchanges, although Nicholas Schmid made a comfortable save from Edson Álvarez’s header following a corner.
Midway through the first half the players broke for a now familiar hydration break which was greeted with boos from the supporters. I have mixed feelings about this as although there is some controversy over this, not least of all with it disrupting the game’s rhythm, I do think in such heat like we’ve had this summer they are a sensible idea.
When play resumed, Pompey continued to attack and on 33 minutes got the crucial breakthrough. From debutant Rocco Shein’s corner, the ball was headed away by Maximilian Kilman only as far as that man Adrian Segečić who chested the ball down and fired a fizzing left foot shot which deflected off Kilman and into the corner of Mads Hermansen’s net as 9,000 Pompey fans erupted at the other end.
Could the upset be on? Pompey continued to press in a bid to double their lead and on 42 minutes Shein won the ball in midfield and let fly from a similar distance to Segečić’s opener, but keeper Hermansen parried before gathering the loose ball.
But what might have been a two-goal cushion saw the game turn on its head within a minute. Hermansen rolled the ball out and patient build up play from the back saw the ball played through to Mohamadou Kanté who after some clever footwork turned both Terry Devlin and Regan Poole to cut back to Taty Castellanos who side footed home a good finish into the corner to equalise.
The leveller gave West Ham the impetus and just two minutes later after some attacking play by Pablo, the ball broke to captain Jarrod Bowen whose long-range shot took a deflection off the head of Conor Shaughnessy to deceive Schmid and put The Hammers in the lead.
It was frustrating to concede twice so near to the interval especially as John Mousinho’s side had applied themselves so well for the majority of the first half and had deservedly been in front. But it was the home side who went into the break with the advantage.
HT: West Ham United 2-1 Pompey
During the half time break it was nice to see a montage of birthdays on the big screen of Hammers’ fans birthdays with West Ham fan Joseph J Jones’ ‘Never Take The East End Out Of Me’ played over them which I understand is a modern-day club anthem as well. A nice and very fitting touch.
When the second half commenced, it was one-way traffic from the home side and just three minutes in they twice may have got their third goal. Firstly, some neat one touches between Pablo and Bowen into the box set up Castellanos, but Devlin got in well to make a crucial block. But The Hammers won the ball back as Kyle Walker-Peters threaded the ball to Pablo and as the ball fell to Lewis Orford, his shot from a tight angle had to pushed out for a corner by Schmid.
The reprieve was short-lived though as on 50 minutes the hosts extended their lead after some good work again by Walker-Peters saw him play the ball through to Bowen to deliver an inviting cross for Castellanos to plant a free header into the corner for his brace as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side went 3-1 up and en route to a place in the next round.
Three goals in seven minutes either side of the break was quite alarming as Mousinho made his first substitution with striker Thomas Waddingham coming on for debutant Luke Brooke-Smith.
Pompey didn’t give up trying to get back into the game and shortly after Ebou Adams squared nicely for Segečić who surged forward but his shot from distance went straight at Hermansen.
Moments later, substitute Waddingham picked up a nasty ankle injury after a challenge by Ollie Scarles as play was stopped whilst he received treatment. So just eight minutes after coming off the bench, Waddingham requested to come off as new midfielder Eoin Kenny replaced him on the hour mark for his first Pompey appearance.
Mousinho coincided this with a treble substitution with further debuts handed to midfielder Odin Bailey who replaced Zak Swanson, whilst Luke Le Roux made way for new striker Marko Milovanović (AKA Marezi). Kenny and Bailey made promising starts with some good runs into the box and efforts on goal.
Segečić looked dangerous every time he burst forward and almost set up Marezi who was unable to direct his header on target after his cross deflected off the back of Mavropanos.
Shortly after the second half drinks break, West Ham made two substitutions themselves with Álvarez being withdrawn for left back El Hadji Malick Diouf. Then Kante was swapped for a certain James Ward-Prowse. Who’d have guessed the Pompey fans would remind him how they feel about him being such a Southampton stalwart.
As time was ticking by for a Pompey comeback, Segečić got another shot in which the Hermansen held. Then Bailey drove a fierce shot just wide of Hermansen’s upright. John Swift was Pompey’s final substitute as the midfielder was brought on for Bishop.
West Ham might have added a fourth in stoppage time when Kilman intercepted another Pompey attack and surged forward from defence to play in Walker-Peters forcing a decent save from Schmid as Bailey back defending got in a good block from Bowen’s follow up. 4-1 would have flattered West Ham in an afternoon where Pompey had some fine attacking play at times considering they were facing such a talented and expensive side with so much Premier League quality. But the home side progressed and ironically for us will now play Southampton away in the second round.
FT: West Ham United 3-1 Pompey
Att: 53,369 (9,000 Pompey fans)
With such a tremendous attendance (a record ever for the League Cup 1st Round), there is something to be said for having this as a new opening day tradition for EFL clubs. It offers a nice run out for the players before the league itself starts and the chance of course for a cup run of sorts in a major competition (even if there is such a slim chance of clubs outside the Premier League winning it). With such good concessions offered like Saturday for everyone (including in some cases Under 18s only paying £1), this is ideal for kids in the school summer holiday.
Although not every club will draw a club like West Ham away, playing this on a Saturday in August as the first game back since May is always going to attract better gate receipts than in midweek once the league itself has started.
Now I mentioned earlier that I would go more in depth on how London winning the bid to host the summer Olympics effectively saw the end of Upton Park. After a comprehensive look around both the former site earlier and the Olympic Park vicinity, I could have written the entire blog weighing up the pros and cons of this relocation. In fact I could do a 10,000-word final year degree dissertation on the subject and would still feel conflicted. But here is my briefer analysis.
It’s well documented that the London Stadium is still yet to really feel like a football stadium as you’d expect from a structure built originally to host track and field athletics at London 2012. So cue the predictable chants from away fans (not just Pompey of course) that the hosts in a manner of speaking “sold their soul” to play here.
I’ve never been a fan of two-tiered stands behind the goal as I think it breaks up the atmosphere. But owing to the fact that the stadium was constructed for the purpose of track and field Athletics and as part of the Olympic legacy is still used for the World Athletics Diamond League and the London Grand Prix. This means a large gap exists between the lower and upper tiers to allow for the retractable seating in the lower tiers giving it a very detached feeling. The polar opposite to the intimate Upton Park.
Invariably it goes against the grain for fans to see their club relocate. But this is not a new thing as around a third of ‘The 92’ in England have opted to since the Taylor Report. For all the charisma and atmosphere of Fratton Park, if we’re to be pragmatic, it’s highly likely we too would have followed suit if Portsmouth wasn’t so incredibly land starved.
London Stadium is one the best athletics venues in the world, but in it’s current format is far from your regular football stadium. But with the opportunity to increase their attendances by nearly 80% and be more competitive with the big hitters of English football, which club is ever going to shrug their shoulders at this? Upton Park was such a wonderful footballing day out and sorely missed by Hammers fans and visitors, but for context its record ever attendance of 42k was still more than 10k less than Saturday’s record ever League Cup 1st round attendance.
Such a substantial amount of money was spent on transforming the huge redundant and derelict brownfield site of Lower Lea Valley once London 2012 was confirmed. So the stadium, surrounding developments and lovely new landscaped grounds on site had to still be kept in use. With respect to Leyton Orient or indeed Tottenham Hotspur at one point, it was only West Ham United who geographically and realistically could have used this stadium.
Upton Park was such a wonderful footballing day out with character pouring out of its ears. It is sorely missed by Hammers fans and visitors and many I’m sure would go back there in a heartbeat if they could. But even if they could this would be a much smaller capacity than what is available now. I guess Everton fans (as things stand) are the only ones who are in a position to say which of their old or new addresses they prefer.
There is no easy answer to this unique situation. To make it more of a football stadium, i.e. building a continuous tier at each end, is a non -starter due to the Olympic legacy. In fact just last week London put its name in the hat to host the 2029 World Athletics championships which it would be tailor made for.
My guess is all fans should enjoy the fabulous facilities available in the immediate surroundings, appreciate the wonderful stadium structure which it is and where possible try to create an atmosphere (until there is some other solution for the stadium profile) even if it seems a world apart from the much-loved compact terraces at Upton Park.
After grabbing a much-needed water as I made my way out of the stadium, I decided as I was exceedingly pressed for time before the game to properly enjoy the outdoor tranquillity of the Olympic Park and allowed for the crowds to disperse, it was a no brainer to make the most of the sites again starting with a great close up of the ArcelorMittal Orbit 360.
As well as the panoramic views you can enjoy across the capital (20 mile on a clear day) from the top of this 80-metre sculpture, there is also the 178-metre-long Helix tunnel slide to enjoy. Another bucket list thing for me one day.
I then wandered back up towards the Lee Valley VeloPark to take in (as pictured below), a nice picturesque view of the River Lea (a tributary of course for the River Thames) facing north from Eastcross bridge.
As I grabbed myself a coffee from Brew Street Cafe and Bar - Timber lodge, I felt even more vindicated by having this extra time here as I saw on Google Maps two iconic landmarks as permanent memories of London 2012 which symbolise so much inspiration.
Pictured below, the Olympic Rings situated on a grass mound just before the former Velodrome. Then back over by Eastcross bridge, the Paralympic Agitos.
Whatever people’s opinions are on the London Stadium as a football venue (particularly in the upper tier behind the goal). You can’t fail but to feel inspired by the London 2012 legacy and just how much it has transformed this part of the capital.
As I made my way across on the tube from Stratford and subsequently Birmingham, it was time to look forward to the new league season and hopefully consolidating our status as a Championship club with the visit of Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. Pompey will be looking to avenge our 6-1 capitulation at Loftus Road in March, whilst The R’s will be searching for their first win at PO4 since the final day of the 1999-2000 season.
Meanwhile, West Ham’s quest for an instant return to Premier League starts with a trip to Turf Moor as The Hammers take on fellow relegated side Burnley. PUP PPU.