1910-11 Southern League : First Division

Manager: Syd King

After finishing ninth in the previous campaign there were only a couple of new signings. Centre-forward Bill Kennedy was purchased together with full-back Jim Rothwell. On the opening day at the Boleyn against Southend United, West Ham raced into a three-goal lead after 12 minutes and a big win looked likely, but the team became too casual and the game ended as a 3-3 draw. Following 2-0 wins over Queens Park Rangers and Gillingham there was a trip to old rivals Millwall. This resulted in another 2-0 victory and it was the first time that West Ham had won at Millwall in the Southern League. As in previous seasons the trend of winning at home then losing away continued, but in December there was an improvement. Two goals from Herbert Ashton came in a 3-0 home win over Leyton and this was followed by a 4-0 victory at the Boleyn against Plymouth Argyle. Danny Shea hit form by scoring twice at Watford in a 3-1 triumph and followed this up by scoring four at Southend as the Hammers romped to a 6-0 victory. The FA Cup began with a home tie against First Division Nottingham Forest. Despite playing in the fog the Hammers won 2-1, with both goals from Shea. The next round brought another home tie with Preston North End, another top-flight side. The Hammers turned in an excellent performance in winning 3-0. Star of the show was centre-forward George Webb, who scored a hat-trick. Now in fine form, there were home wins over Norwich City and Luton Town. There was huge excitement as the draw for the third round of the FA Cup saw West Ham paired with Manchester United at home. The game attracted a record crowd of 27,000 and turned out to be a classic. The Hammers took the lead though Shea but United equalised soon after. Just three minutes from the end Tommy Caldwell was on hand to score the winning goal. The Hammers were through to the quarter-finals. Good fortune played a part as West Ham were again drawn at home in the FA Cup, this time to Preston North End. Despite a gallant fight and two goals from George Butcher, the Hammers were beaten 3-2. The FA Cup run against four First Division opponents had brought acclaim and admiration from the footballing public. There were honours for three players as George Webb was chosen to represent England against Wales and Scotland, and Danny Shea and George Kitchen played for the Southern League side. The Easter period saw West Ham beating Southampton both home and away but true to form this was followed by 3-0 defeats at Leyton and Brighton. It had been a good campaign as the team finished fifth in the league and reached the last eight of the FA Cup.

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