Andy Malcolm

Andy Malcolm, the son of a train driver, was born above a grocer's shop around the corner from Upton Park, on 4th May 1933. He later recalled: "I was born at 59 Barking Road in a flat on top of a grocer's shop, just around the corner from the ground. My parents moved to Hornchurch when I was six months old... My father worked on the railway as an electric train-driver. He was an ardent West Ham supporter all his life... I was fortunate enough to be a Schoolboy international and it came as no surprise when I got several offers from clubs to join then, including one from Wolves, who at that time were a very fashionable club.... My father was a big influence on my joining West Ham. I signed for the club in 1950. I was 17." (1)

Malcolm captained England Schoolboys and in 1948 he became West Ham's first ever youth international. He played 82 reserve games before Ted Fenton gave him his first senior debut in the Second Division on 5th December 1953 against Notts County. (2) "I don't remember a great deal about the actual game itself. I do remember, however, that I got very nervous before the game and Ted Fenton telling me to relax." (3)

Although he was only 20 years old, he was so impressive he remained in the West Ham United first-team for the rest of the season. In the 1954-55 season he played 40 games. The arrival of Dave Sexton meant that he lost his place in the side but regained it before the end of season. In the 1956-57 season he played virtually every league and cup game and built up a good midfield partnership with John Smith, Malcolm Allison and Bill Lansdowne. Although a defensive mid-fielder, Malcolm managed to score three goals that season. (4)

Andy Malcolm - Defensive Midfielder

As Tony Hogg pointed out, Andy Malcolm was "feared by the leading inside-forwards of his day because of his ability to close-mark and block his opponents out of the game... a tough-tackling, unassuming character, he must rank as one of the finest wing-halves the club ever employed." (5) His importance to West Ham was reflected in the fact that he was not dropped from the first-team for the next seven years. (6)

Malcolm Allison, the captain of West Ham United, took over the control of first-team training sessions in 1957. Looking back to the start of his training activities at Upton Park, he recalled: "I took charge of the coaching at West Ham. I built the attitude. We used to get together and I used to make them come back for training in the afternoons." Allison also began picking the team. Mike Grice commented: "Three team sheets would go up for match days. Malcolm would look at them all, take them down and go and see Ted. When they went up again they had invariably changed." Bill Lansdowne recalled: "Fenton would give us a chat and on the way out of the dressing-room Malcolm would say what to do." (7)

Allison admitted that it was an example of player power: "My relationship with the West Ham manager Ted Fenton was much closer than the one I had had with Jimmy Seed (his manager at Charlton). But it was scarcely satisfactory. I did give him some problems, but they arose chiefly out of my frustration with the way the club was run. And eventually I began to run the team, with his tacit agreement. He could see that I was getting results. Player power is a phrase which has become fashionable in modern football. But it was being practiced in the West Ham dressing room 20 years ago. I began to draw up my own training schedules, and people like Phil Woosnam, Noel Cantwell, John Bond and Frank O'Farrell came in with me." (8)

Brian Belton, who interviewed most of those who played for West Ham in the 1950s for his book, Days of Iron (1999), argues that a group of senior players became very influential in this new approach to football: "Noel Cantwell, Malcolm Allison, Frank O'Farrell, Dave Sexton, John Bond, Andy Malcolm, Ken Brown - these men, among many others, were instrumental in developing the style that brought the championship to the Boleyn Ground. They did have different backgrounds, although mainly Cork and East London, but while they were at West Ham they lived with each other or in the same area, they socialised and, at least once a week, at the Denmark Arms and Cassatarri's ate together. The players were thinking about the game and talking about it among themselves. Most of them are still convinced that they developed a new kind of football. Proximity fostered the discourse, understanding and the familiarity that allowed for the generation of a novel approach to football. From their collective mind a philosophy of tactics, and more, organisation, arose. In turn this provoked an intellectual attitude that saw the game as a range of conceptual challenges set in the physical context. However, out of this kind of political consciousness grew; to implement tactics and influence selection, the control of the means of football production, a level of managerial authority was required." (9)

Eddie Lewis who joined West Ham in 1956 after spells at Manchester United and Preston, had been used to training that consisted of little more than laps of the pitch followed by 15-a-side free-for-alls. "Under Malcolm everything was so organised. One small group would be playing six versus six, another playing head tennis, another doing weights, another running. The whistle would blow and the groups would change. You didn't see any clubs doing that at that time." (10) Allison liked Andy Malcolm and described him as "a very good player, a very, very good defender." (11)

Allison had been at Wembley when Hungary beat England 6-3 on 25th November 1953. "We got to the stadium early and watched the Hungarians working out on a patch of grass where they kept greyhounds. I noticed their light modern gear and their streamlined boots... There was something so bright, so brilliant, in Hungary's 6-3 win that even the walls of complacency in English football began to crumble." (12)

Allison also changed West Ham's playing kit. "The Hammers were among the first English teams to swap heavy, buttoned shirts for streamlined, tight-fitting, short-sleeved V-necks and to adopt Continental-style short shorts." At first some of the players did not like these changes. John Bond said: "The shorts were so short that we looked like a load of women running around the place." Allison also persuaded Fenton to order 24 lightweight boots used by the Hungarian team from the manufacturer in Hungary. (13)

According to Malcolm Musgrove Allison changed the way the team played: "Allison was a good skipper. He wanted to win, wanted to play football, and this was at the time when there weren't many passing sides about. Most teams used to get it, kick it to the other end and chase it, but we, through Malcolm's influence, always wanted to play from the back. We wanted to pass the ball around. He was a cenre-half that didn't just belt it away, he got it down and passed it." (14)

Promoted to the First Division

Andy Malcolm was one of the key players in the 1957-1958 season. His main job was to man-mark the opposition's most creative player. His nickname was "Shadow". After one game against Fulham, the England captain, Johnny Haynes, complained about his hard-tackling and described him as a butcher. Many years later Andy Malcolm bumped into Haynes at an airport, to which Johnny remarked – "you are still following me around after all these years". (15)

West Ham had been in the Second Division since the end of the 1931-1932 season. They began in an unremarkable fashion. By mid-October 1957 they only had 12 points from 12 matches. Ted Fenton, felt he needed a new striker and decided that he wanted Vic Keeble who was playing at Newcastle United. He had managed him at Colchester United, and considered him a great finisher. He telephoned Keeble and said: "I'm coming up Saturday, I fancy you Vic, I could well put in a bid for you. I'll take a look at you, see how you do." Keeble scored two goals in the first 45 minutes and at half-time Fenton knocked on the window of the dressing-room and said: "Vic, don't play too well in the second-half, they won't let you go." After the game Fenton bought Keeble for £10,000. (16)

Vic Keeble had been a West Ham fan when he was a boy and so he welcomed a move to the club. (17) Eddie Lewis, who was replaced in the side by Keeble was not impressed by the signing. "After I was dropped I scored four goals in a reserve game... Ted Fenton was obsessed with Vic Keeble, so I just didn't get any games. Ted wasn't the sort of bloke you could talk to about anything." Other players also had their doubts. Mike Grice complained: "Feeble Keeble, the legless wonder... But he was great in the air." Ken Brown added: "Vic Keeble couldn't kick a ball ten yards, but he could head a ball." (18)

Keeble was a great success at West Ham United: "I partnered John Dick and we clicked instantly, scoring 40 goals between us. I was really enjoying my football and grabbed a hat-trick in a 5-0 win against Stoke City, two in 6-1 wins over Lincoln and Bristol Rovers, and further braces in a 6-2 victory over Swansea and 8-0 thumping of Rotherham United. The Hammers clinched the title in the final game at Middlesbrough, where we won 3-1. I knocked in the third goal." (19)

Keeble scored 19 goals that season. Johnny Dick was top scorer with 21 goals and Billy Dare contributed 14. All three men benefited from the service provided by John Smith, who also hit the net 11 times. West Ham was a devastating attacking team scoring a record total of 101 goals that enabled them to win the league championship. After 26 seasons in the second division West Ham was promoted to the top tier. (20)

West Ham United made a very good start to the 1958-1959 season. They were unchanged for their first five games and was the same team that got them promoted to the First Division: Ernie Gregory, John Bond, Noel Cantwell, Andy Malcolm, Ken Brown, Bill Lansdowne, Mike Grice, John Smith, Vic Keeble, Johnny Dick and Malcolm Musgrove. West Ham won their first three games against Portsmouth (2-1), Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-0) and Aston Villa (7-2). This was followed by a draw and a defeat. However, when they played Manchester United on 8th September, 1958, they knew that a victory would take them to the top of the league. (21)

Lansdowne was injured and he was replaced by the 17 year-old Bobby Moore. The journalist Sam Leitch reported what happened in The Daily Herald the next morning: "What a cheek which was contemptuous West Ham toyed with Manchester United last night and built up a load of three cracker-jack goals in 60 minutes. Then their strolling, lazy genius got them into trouble as United... slammed back. Had the game lasted another ten minutes I think the Busby Babes would have collected a point. Still over confidence or not, the East End boys of London are top of the First Division this morning - after another joy infested night at this tight little London stadium. The permanently demoralised in the first-half of the slick deadlines and inter-changing of the West Ham inside men, Vic Keeble, John Smith and John Dick... Ron Cope and Goodwin tangled repeatedly as they were jolted out of their stride by the crossfield genius of Malcolm, the punch of Musgrove and the gentle, yet deadly, tip-tapping of Keeble and Smith. It was a magic, high-speed move in the 38th minute which scissored that defence again. From Keeble to Dick, for the big Scot to roll it only a yard forward for Smith to blast home from 18 yards." (22)

Andy Malcolm's form was so good that season that he was tipped to become an English international. Bill Holden, wrote in the The Daily Mirror about the games that took place on 4th October, 1958: "The star players of England face the biggest afternoon of their Soccer lives today. They will be watched by three groups of selectors who meet tomorrow and Monday to pick teams for the following big games. England v Ireland at Belfast next Saturday. Football League v Scottish League in Glasgow on October 8, and England Under-12 v Czechoslovakia at Norwich on October 15. And when they deliver their verdict I am sure there will be one new boy in the honours list - Andy Malcolm, West Ham's right-half, who has never yet played in a senior representative side. He is too old for the Under-23s, but I believe he will convince the selectors that he must be included in either the full England team or the Football League side." (23)

Representative Honours

Andy Malcolm and John Bond were both selected to play for the Football League against the Scottish League at the Ibrox Stadium, on 8th October. Other players in the team included: Eddie Hopkinson (Bolton Wanderers), Graham Shaw (Sheffield United), Joe Shaw (Sheffield United), Jim Iley (Tottenham Hotspur), Howard Wilkinson (Sheffield Wednesday), Albert Quixall (Manchester United), Brian Clough (Middlesborough), Jimmy Greaves (Chelsea), Brian Pilkington (Burnley). Clough scored the only goal in a 1-1 draw. (24)

Although he never received a full-cap for England he was considered by many as the best defensive midfielder in the country. As Tony Hanna has pointed out: "The job Andy was good at was man marking. Many claim that he has been the best that West Ham have ever had in this role. In the 1958/59 season back in the top flight, he played players like Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law and Johnny Haynes out of the game. These were three of the giants of the game at the time." (25)

Andy Malcolm played 110 consecutive league appearances for the Hammers. This run commenced on 24th August, 1957 and ended on 16th January 16, 1960. He missed the game against Bolton Wanderers (a game that West Ham lost 2-1) and returned for the next game and remained in the team for the rest of the season. In the 1960-1961 season he player 40 out of the 42 league games. (26)

Ron Greenwood

Ron Greenwood replaced Ted Fenton as manager of West Ham United in April 1961. In his autobiography, Yours Sincerely (1984) Greenwood quickly came to the conclusion that the older players in the squad had too much power at the club. This included Andy Malcolm, Ken Brown, Johnny Dick, Malcolm Musgrove, John Bond and Phil Woosnam. He was told by Bill Jenkins, the club's physiotherapist, that Bond was the leader of the group. In order to deal with this problem he dropped Bond and replaced him with John Lyle. (27)

Greenwood also decided to get rid of Andy Malcolm. He was in and out of the West Ham team in the first-half of the 1961-1962 season. Initially he gave the number 4 shirt to Geoff Hurst, a very different type of player. Greenwood made it clear that he did not approve of Andy's "demolition instincts". Andy Malcolm later recalled that Greenwood told him that he had no future with the club and that he wanted him to go to Chelsea. (28)

However, Greenwood wanted to get the best price for Malcolm and on 1st November, 1961, The Daily Mirror reported that West Ham had turned down Chelsea's offer of £10,000 and reserve centre forward Ron Tindall in exchange for Malcolm. Ron Greenwood said: "Chelsea came to us for Malcolm. We stated our terms and as far as we are concerned the ball is in their court." By this stage Malcolm clearly wished to leave the club and complained: "I have served the Hammers for twelve years and knowing how I feel, I should have thought they would have allowed the deal to go through." (29)

The sale eventually went through and Malcolm commented: "I moved to Chelsea because it was quite obvious to me I wasn't to become part of Ron Greenwood's plans at Upton Park. I missed out on West Ham's Cup success in the Sixties, but even had I been at West Ham I might not have been in the side with Ron Greenwood in charge." Although West Ham United did win the 1964 FA Cup and the 1965 European Cup Winners Cup it has been argued that with Malcolm that they would have won more: "West Ham never really developed the consistency to make an impact on the League... Greenwood had no Hunter, Giles, Bremner or Stiles... The potential that lay in Andy Malcolm... was not honed, simply because it was not in Greenwood's personality to do this." (30)

Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers

Andy Malcolm played his first game for Chelsea on 4th November, 1961, three days after signing for the club. The Liverpool Echo reported in April, 1962: "The fact that Chelsea have been struggling against relegation has not prevented Malcolm creating a very favourable impression in the five months he has been at Stamford Bridge... He made his debut three days later, and has played in every game at right half where he has played in every game at right half where his experience has been of great value to his younger teammates." (31)

Chelsea was relegated that season and Malcolm, fell out with Tommy Docherty. "Amongst other things, I had a contract dispute with Tommy Docherty. I all but packed up my career. However, as they say, it doesn't do to hold hate in your heart all your life, so to say I dislike the man would probably be a better way of describing my feelings!" Malcolm moved to Queens Park Rangers where he worked under Alec Stock in 1962 where he played 84 games (5 goals) over the next three years. (32)

In 1965 Andy Malcolm emigrated to South Africa where he played football for a couple of years. In 1967 he returned to England where he played for Brentwood Town in the Southern League. (33) Later he worked for an ice-cream company before becoming a publican at the Ship and Anchor in Malden and the Red Lion in Latchingdon, playing Sunday league football with some of his customers. In 1986 Andy Malcolm returned to South Africa where he would spend the rest of his life. (34)

Andrew Malcolm died in Port Elizabeth on 26th December 2013.

Primary Sources

(1) Andy Malcolm, interviewed by Brian Belton, for his book Days of Iron (1999)

I was born at 59 Barking Road in a flat on top of a grocer's shop, just around the corner from the ground. My parents moved to Hornchurch when I was six months old... I was blessed with the best parents a person could possibly have. My father worked on the railway as an electric train-driver. He was an ardent West Ham supporter all his life. My mother, who concentrated on bringing the family up, always told the story of the day he came back from the 1923 Cup Final with his shirt all torn.

I attended North Street Junior School and later Dury Fals Senior School. My schooling was, of course, interrupted by the war... I was fortunate enough to be a Schoolboy international and it came as no surprise when I got several offers from clubs to join then, including one from Wolves, who at that time were a very fashionable club. I played at Upton Park for Essex against Kent and injured an ankle. After the game West Ham offered to give me treatment to enable me to play in the internationals... My father was a big influence on my joining West Ham. I signed for the club in 1950. I was 17...

In my day, from the end of May until August you only got what they used to call a retainer wage. I had one or two temporary jobs during the close season, that was if we didn't have a tour.

In the days of the Chicken Run there was always a lot of chirping going on, although I can't remember anything that struck me in particular. The feeling among the players was good. In my early days at the club Harry Hooper was my mate. When Harry left, Ken Brown and I were mates.

I'm not sure how I would describe myself as a player. Alec Stock at QPR once described me as a thoroughbred professional with a pedigree'. Johnny Haynes, on the other hand, once told me that I should have been a butcher, so perhaps I might have been somewhere in between!

(2) Sam Leitch, The Daily Herald (9th September, 1958)

What a cheek which was contemptuous West Ham toyed with Manchester United last night and built up a load of three cracker-jack goals in 60 minutes. Then their strolling, lazy genius got them into trouble as United... slammed back. Had the game lasted another ten minutes I think the Busby Babes would have collected a point.

Still over confidence or not, the East End boys of London are top of the First Division this morning - after another joy infested night at this tight little London stadium. The permanently demoralised in the first-half of the slick deadlines and inter-changing of the West Ham inside men, Vic Keeble, John Smith and John Dick...

The prize duel of the night was between that tough little tornado Andy Malcolm emerging as a master right-half of England class, and inside-left Bobby Charlton, who has never been anything but England class...

Back to the non-stop battering which United took right from the start. Panic in the seventh minute by right-half Freddie Goodwin let the burly Dick storm through to lob a high ball over Gregg's head.

Ron Cope and Goodwin tangled repeatedly as they were jolted out of their stride by the crossfield genius of Malcolm, the punch of Musgrove and the gentle, yet deadly, tip-tapping of Keeble and Smith.

It was a magic, high-speed move in the 38th minute which scissored that defence again. From Keeble to Dick, for the big Scot to roll it only a yard forward for Smith to blast home from 18 yards.

On the 60th-minute mark again those leaden0footed United defenders clustered around and could not pounce quick enough to foil Musgrove leaving Gregg helpless from 20 yards.

(3) Brian Belton, Days of Iron (1999)

Noel Cantwell, Malcolm Allison, Frank O'Farrell, Dave Sexton, John Bond, Andy Malcolm, Ken Brown - these men, among many others, were instrumental in developing the style that brought the championship to the Boleyn Ground. They did have different backgrounds, although mainly Cork and East London, but while they were at West Ham they lived with each other or in the same area, they socialised and, at least once a week, at the Denmark Arms and Cassatarri's ate together. The players were thinking about the game and talking about it among themselves. Most of them are still convinced that they developed a new kind of football.

Proximity fostered the discourse, understanding and the familiarity that allowed for the generation of a novel approach to football. From their collective mind a philosophy of tactics, and more, organisation, arose. In turn this provoked an intellectual attitude that saw the game as a range of conceptual challenges set in the physical context. However, out of this kind of political consciousness grew; to implement tactics and influence selection, the control of the means of football production, a level of managerial authority was required. ABC - Allison, Bond and Cantwell - facilitated this.

(4) Bill Holden, The Daily Mirror (4th October, 1958)

The star players of England face the biggest afternoon of their Soccer lives today. They will be watched by three groups of selectors who meet tomorrow and Monday to pick teams for the following big games. England v Ireland at Belfast next Saturday. Football League v Scottish League in Glasgow on October 8, and England Under-12 v Czechoslovakia at Norwich on October 15.

And when they deliver their verdict I am sure there will be one new boy in the honours list - Andy Malcolm, West Ham's right-half, who has never yet played in a senior representative side. He is too old for the Under-23s, but I believe he will convince the selectors that he must be included in either the full England team or the Football League side.

(5) The Daily Mirror (Ist November, 1961)

West Ham last night turned down Chelsea's offer of £10,000 and reserve centre forward Ron Tindall for wing half Andy Malcolm.

West Ham are still willing to sell Malcolm but Chelsea will have to step up their price.

West Ham manager Ron Greenwood said: "Chelsea came to us for Malcolm. We stated our terms and as far as we are concerned the ball is in their court."

A disappointed Malcolm said: "I have served the Hammers for twelve years and knowing how I feel, I should have thought they would have allowed the deal to go through."

Hope for Malcolm came in the final word from Chelsea chairman, Joe Mears: "We want Malcolm, and negotiations are still proceeding."

(6) The Liverpool Echo (14th April 1962)

The fact that Chelsea have been struggling against relegation has not prevented Malcolm creating a very favourable impression in the five months he has been at Stamford Bridge. Signed from West Ham on November 1 in part exchange for inside forward Ron Tindall, he made his debut three days later, and has played in every game at right half where he has played in every game at right half where his experience has been of great value to his younger team mates.

(7) Roger Hillier, Andy Malcolm (2014)

The 1950s was a decade of fluctuating fortunes for West Ham. During these 10 years the club rose from the mediocrity of the lower half of Division Two to the heights of sixth place in the top tier. A player who made a significant contribution to that rise in the Hammers’ status was right half, Andy Malcolm.

During his West Ham career he made 321 competitive first team appearances. 283 of these in the football league, and a further 38 in the F.A., League, Southern Floodlight and Essex Professional Cups. As a defending half back rather than an attacking one, his goal tally was limited to four in the league...

Despite turning professional in July 1950 Andy had to wait over three years for his first team debut. This was an Essex Professional Cup tie on October 22 1953 away to Colchester United. Despite a Harry Hooper goal it was not a memorable baptism as the Hammers lost 5-1. The team a mix of experienced and new faces was: Peter Chiswick, John Bond, Harry Kinsell, Andy Malcolm, Fred Cooper, Doug Bing, Harry Hooper, Terry Matthews. Fred Kearns, Albert Foan, Terry Woodgate.

Six weeks later, on Saturday December 5, 1953 and Andy made his league bow at home to Notts County. Again the result was not favourable as the Magpies won 2-1...

League form was not great as the Hammers slipped to finish 16th and injury restricted Andy’s appearances to 22 in the 1955-56 Division II campaign. But the disappointing league form was partly compensated by a good run in the FA Cup. The Hammers six game campaign culminated in reaching the quarter-finals where they met North London Division I rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. After a memorable 3-3 draw at White Hart Lane, the Hammers lost the home replay 2-1. The total attendance for the two quarter-final matches was over 105,000..

After an absence of 26 years West Ham finally returned to English football’s top tier. This season’s league programme was probably Andy’s best with the club. Not only was he the club’s only ever-present but he was a constant and consistent driving force throughout the games. And he netted his first goals for the first team….and three of them! They were worth waiting for.

His first net was on September 14, 1957 away at the Vetch Field, Swansea Town. The game was in the middle of a three match losing streak, after which the team hit championship form to only lose four of the season’s remaining 32 league games.

The second goal was on February 22, 1958 in the 3-2 win at home to Bristol City. And the third net was in the Hammers’ April return to Wales to visit Cardiff City and take three points with a 3-0 victory.

The late 1950s saw the pinnacle of Andy’s playing career: Hammer of the Year, a member of the Division II Championship winning side, and a Football League representative honour. To underline those achievements Andy also clocked an impressive 110 consecutive league appearances for the Hammers. This run commenced on August 24, 1957 in the season’s first game (home to Lincoln City 2-2) and ended on January 16, 1960 (away to Leeds United 0-3).

In the five seasons 1956-57 to 1960-61 inclusive, Andy only missed nine league matches as he played in 201 of the 210 games.

Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end. And they did for Andy. The influencing factor was Ron Greenwood who took over as manager from Ted Fenton in April 1961. Greenwood was not such a big fan of Andy’s uncompromising style of play and he initially bought in Geoff Hurst at right half to replace him. Though later another tough tackler, Eddie Bovington, would take over the number four reigns.

Andy Malcolm's last league appearance for West Ham turned out to be the 3-2 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday October 28, 1961.

Despite being only one season away from a testimonial game, he left West Ham in a swap arrangement for Chelsea’s Ron Tindall and £11,000 cash in November 1961. After a year and 27 league appearances (plus one goal) for Chelsea, Andy moved on to Queens Park Rangers. At Loftus Road he made a further 84 league appearances and netted four goals before retiring from league football in 1964.

In 1966, he went to South Africa where he played for Port Elizabeth and then the Greek Port Elizabeth side Apollen FC, before returning in 1967 to play for Brentwood Town in the Southern League.

After retiring as a player, Andy became a landlord at two public houses in Essex, The Ship and Anchor in Maldon, and The Lion at Latchingdon.

He later emigrated to South Africa in 1986.

(8) Ivan Ponting, The Independent (22nd January, 2014)

There wasn't much Johnny Haynes, the Fulham and England midfield general of the 1950s and '60s, didn't know about the fellow footballers who set out to prevent him from displaying his crowd-pleasing artistry – and he described Andy Malcolm as a butcher.

The unobtrusive but unremittingly tough Malcolm was indeed a formidable enforcer who tackled ruthlessly and was tenacious when marking an opposing danger man, especially during his prime with West Ham United. Yet he was deceptively skilful, a precise and perceptive passer endowed with more subtle shades of ability than most ball-winning wing-halves of his era.

Quiet and unassuming, Malcolm was known for his dry humour. Before one match with Chelsea in which he was detailed to subdue the menace of the brilliant young goalscorer Jimmy Greaves, he muttered darkly to his team-mate John Bond, "If the little blighter gets past me, just chip him back in my direction."

The son of an east London train driver, Malcolm was born above a grocer's shop around the corner from Upton Park, and he signed for West Ham in 1948, initially working in the club office before turning professional in 1950, then becoming the club's first England youth international, playing nearly 100 reserve games before making his senior debut in the Second Division in December 1953.

Soon he commanded a regular place alongside pedigree performers such as Bond, Noel Cantwell, Malcolm Allison and Frank O'Farrell. In 1957-58 he was a key component as Ted Fenton's men were divisional champions, being voted Hammer of the Year by the fans, then he was ever-present in 1958-59 as they finished sixth.

Malcolm fell from grace in 1961, when Fenton was replaced by Ron Greenwood, who was not enamoured of his abrasive style and dropped him in favour of a young Lancastrian named Geoff Hurst, who was destined in time for conversion from wing-half to centre-forward before taking a decisive role in England's World Cup triumph of 1966.

Malcolm moved to Chelsea in November 1961, West Ham receiving centre-forward Ron Tindall and £10,000 in exchange. However, he was neither the first nor the last footballer not to get on with manager Tommy Docherty, and after the Pensioners were relegated in 1962 he was sold to third-tier Queen's Park Rangers for £10,000. Under the enlightened regime of Alec Stock he enjoyed life at Loftus Road, but suffered a serious eye injury which initially threatened his career, and left in 1965.

He emigrated to South Africa, joining Apollen in Port Elizabeth, then returned to the UK with Southern League Brentwood in 1967. Later he worked for an ice-cream company before becoming a publican in Essex, playing Sunday league football with some of his customers.

Andrew Malcolm, footballer: born London 4 May 1933; twice divorced (two sons); died Port Elizabeth, South Africa 26 December 2013.

(9) Tony Hanna, Andy Malcolm (4th January, 2014)

Sadly, news has come through that former Hammer, Andy Malcolm, passed away on Boxing Day at the age of 80.

Andy made his debut for the club, aged 20, in a home loss to Notts County in December 1953. He went on to play over 300 times for the Hammers with his last game in October 1961 against Sheffield Wednesday. Andy Malcolm was typical of so many players of that generation, in that he was born a stones throw from the Boleyn ground. He was a tough tackling wing half, no nonsense, and tough as teak himself – only missing a handful of games in his career. He was ever present in the promotion winning side of the 1957/58 season, winning a Division Two champions medal along with being named Hammer of the Year for his contribution to the side. Andy Malcolm was the very first recipient of the award. This was no mean feat and highlights the importance of the man in a team that included Gregory, Bond, Brown, Allison, Cantwell, Musgrove and prolific goal scorers Vic Keeble and John Dick. Andy was not renown for his goal scoring, but he scored three of his four goals for the club in that one season.

The job Andy was good at was man marking. Many claim that he has been the best that West Ham have ever had in this role. In the 1958/59 season back in the top flight, he played players like Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law and Johnny Haynes out of the game. These were three of the giants of the game at the time. About ten years ago Andy bumped into Johnny Haynes at an airport, to which Johnny remarked – “you are still following me around after all these years”. Some players nicknamed him “Shadow”, as they were more likely to get a kick from Andy than a kick of the ball.

Andy also had the honour of being West Ham’s first England youth international, although he did not go on to win a full England cap. He did represent the Football League in a fixture against the Scottish League in 1958. When Ron Greenwood took over from Ted Fenton as club manager in 1961, Andy lost his place in the team. Perhaps his style was not suited to Ron’s philosophy? So he was transferred to Chelsea in 1962 before later joining QPR. He was to have a brief spell in South Africa before returning to England. Like many retired professional footballers of the time he went on to become landlord at Essex pubs, The Ship and Anchor in Malden and The Lion in Latchingdon. In 1986 Andy Malcolm returned to South Africa where he would spend the rest of his life.