West Ham United legend Sir Trevor Brooking on scoring the winner in the 1980 FA Cup final, managing the Hammers and the London Stadium

Brooking scored a 13th minute header to lead West Ham United to a 1-0 win over Arsenal in front of a crowd of 100,000 at Wembley Stadium.

West Ham, who were plying their trade in the Second Division at the time, are the last side outside of the top flight to win the competition.

And Brooking, who is fourth on the list of the Hammers’ leading appearance makers having featured 643 times between 1967 and 1984, admitted it was a special feeling to score the winning goal.

Brooking, speaking exclusively to the Echo, said: “It was special.

“Scoring the header is something I will never forget and the game is still very clear in my mind.

“We were in the Second Division and we played Everton in the semi-final, while the other one was between two massive teams in Arsenal and Liverpool.

“We had a replay with Everton before we got through, but Arsenal and Liverpool played each other four times to decide who would go through because there were no penalty shoot-outs in those days.

“Eventually Arsenal got through and everyone thought they would win it, but we were a decent side.

“We played great on the day and I thought we deserved to win.”

Brooking scored 102 goals during his 17 year stint with the Hammers and won two FA Cups with the club, having also been an integral part of the side that won the competition in 1975.

Brooking was also a European Cup Winners’ Cup runner-up in 1976, before playing a key role as West Ham were crowned Second Division champions just 12 months after the club’s momentous win over Arsenal.

And Brooking feels the signings of goalkeeper Phil Parkes and right-back Ray Stewart - from QPR and Dundee United respectively - in 1979, proved pivotal in the east London club’s success.

Brooking, who lives in Shenfield, added: “We were in the Second Division, but we brought in players like Phil Parkes and Ray Stewart.

“Parkes, Stewart, Alvin Martin, Billy Bonds and Frank Lampard was the best defence I played with.

“We went up the following season and we got promoted with a record points total in the final year when it was two points for a win.”

The Hammers have not won a major trophy since Brooking’s goal clinched the 1980 FA Cup, but the 69-year-old is hopeful that the current crop of players can end the long wait for silverware.

Caretaker - Sir Trevor Brooking was unable to save West Ham United from relegation in 2003

Sir Trevor surprised to become caretaker

WEST Ham United’s 2002/03 side is widely regarded as one of the best teams to ever suffer relegation.

The Hammers boasted the likes of Paolo Di Canio and Frederic Kanoute, along with academy products Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe in the ranks.

But the east London club could not stave off relegation from the top flight despite picking up 42 points, which remains a record total of points for a side dropping into the Championship.

Sir Trevor Brooking was in caretaker charge of the Hammers for the final three games of the season, and he believes West Ham’s poor use of the transfer window was to blame for the club’s relegation.

Brooking said: “I think it was the first season of the transfer window and we probably messed up.

“We had Di Canio and Kanoute as our main strikers and then, all of a sudden, they were both out for two months.

“Jermain Defoe was 17 and a couple other players had been signed who weren’t good enough.

“I can remember central defender Ian Pearce playing up front from December until the January transfer window.

“If we had have got Les Ferdinand before the third week in January, we might have been alright.

“In the end, we went down with 42 points and Bolton just stayed up with 44.

“As we sit here now, that is still the highest points total that anyone has gone down with, but that wasn’t much consolation at the time!”

Brooking was installed as caretaker manager after boss Glenn Roeder suffered a brain tumour in the final weeks of the campaign.

And Brooking, who is regarded as one of West Ham’s finest players of all-time, admitted that he was not expecting the call to takeover.

Brooking, 69, added: “It was a bit of a shock.

“Unfortunately, Glenn Roeder collapsed with a brain tumour and we had three games left to play.

“I was a director at the time and then I got a call saying that the five senior players didn’t think that Paul Goddard and Roger Cross were the right men for the job.

“They were assistant coaches, but I kept popping in and out of the ground and they just thought that somebody like myself might do it in the last three games rather than someone coming in out of the cold.

“I met the players and agreed to do it.

“We did alright, because we got seven points out of nine.

“But even nine points wouldn’t have been enough in the end because Bolton had a better goal difference.”

Changes needed - at the London Stadium

‘Changes should be made to London Stadium’

WEST Ham United legend Sir Trevor Brooking feels that some changes need to be made to the London Stadium.

The Hammers moved into the arena, which was built for the 2012 London Olympics, in 2016 after more than a century at Upton Park.

A large section of supporters have been critical of the club’s new home, but Brooking understands why owners David Sullivan and David Gold felt moving to the London Stadium was the right option.

Brooking said: “Upton Park was fantastic, but to go from 35,000 to 56,000 is amazing so I don’t think you could say ‘don’t do it’.

“I think the biggest problem is the side where the teams come out and the dugouts are. That side is too far away.

“With the World Athletics Championships out of the way, if they can get an agreement with the owner to move it 30 or 40 yards closer next summer then it would help the atmosphere.

“Other than that I don’t think it’s been too bad.”

And Brooking insists that the London Stadium will start to feel like home when West Ham enjoy more success on the pitch.

The ex-England international added: “It’s all about creating it’s own history. Until we have one or two good cup runs and create some good matches that everyone remembers, it is difficult.

“Our home form in the first season there was shocking and the win over Tottenham and the League Cup win over Chelsea were the only ones worth looking back on.

“We’re slightly better this year and we should have enough to stay up.”