It's true, too, that City haven't beaten West Ham United in over 40 years. City last topped the Hammers way back on April 23, 1962, on the 35th anniversary of the Bluebirds' glorious win over Arsenal in the 1927 FA Cup final. City's 3-0 win at Ninian Park that day was a big one in their struggle against relegation, pulling the club level on points with Fulham for 20th place in the (old) Division One table (and avenged a 4-1 loss to the Hammers at Upton Park three days
before). Even though the Cottagers' lost 2-1 at home to West Bromwich Albion that day, they managed to stay ahead of City on goal difference and, as it turned out, City couldn't quite overtake them. From that point on, Fulham won one of their last three to stay up, finishing 20th with 33 points; City countered with but one point in their last two games, finishing 21st with 32 points.
In the years following City's last win over the Hammers, the two clubs have met ten times, six times in (old) Division Two, four in two League Cup ties. West Ham won on six occasions with the other four ending in draws. Here are details of their ten meetings since City's last win:
* City and the Hammers met in the semifinals of the 1965-66 League Cup at the end of City's best-ever League Cup run. West Ham buried the Bluebirds in the two matches, winning 5-2 at Upton Park on December 20 and 5-1 at Ninian Park on February 2. West Ham went on to lose the final to West Bromwich Albion.
* The two clubs met again in the second round of the 1971-72 League Cup. The first match, played at Upton Park, wound up 1-1 but the Hammers won the replay 2-1 at Ninian Park to advance to the third round. The Hammers got as far as the semifinals that year before losing 3-1 to Stoke in a second replay following a home-and-away 2-2 aggregate draw.
* City and West Ham met in the league for the first time in nearly 17 years when the clubs drew 1-1 at Upton Park on April 16, 1979, then 0-0 at Ninian Park May 11, on the next-to-last day of the 1978-79 season. West Ham finished fourth, City ninth in the (old) Second Division that year.
* West Ham won both (old) Second Division matches the next year, 3-0 at Upton Park on November 24, 1979, and 1-0 at Ninian Park on April 19, 1980. West Ham wound up seventh that year, City 15th.
* The next year West Ham beat City 1-0 at Upton Park on October 7, 1980 before the two clubs drew 0-0 at Ninian Park in the aforementioned May 6, 1981 match. West Ham won the (old) Division Two title that year by a whopping 13 points in the league's last two-points-for-a-win season. City finished 19th, averting relegation on goal difference alone.
In all, the two clubs have met 42 times. City have won seven, West Ham 21. There have been 14 draws.
John Heyda