Rob Ormrod sent us a programme from the match when Taylor returned to his old stomping ground of Christie Park on April 22, 1976.

Fresh off his Cup final goalscoring exploits, Alan was in the Hammers side who played a friendly against Morecambe. The Londoners won 9-1.

Match sponsors in the programme included fondly-remembered businesses like the Spavin and Kelly toy shop and Baines butchers on Lancaster Road run by then Shrimps chairman, Harry Baines.

Keith Roach also got in touch to tell us the tale of how this prestige game came about.

Keith was on the board at Morecambe at the time and money was tight.

He says he travelled to watch West Ham play at Burnley, where he got talking to the Hammers' vice-chairman and asked if the East End team would come and play a money-spinning game with the lowly Shrimps.
A few days later, Keith says he had a phone call from Ron Greenwood, West Ham and future England manager!

The game was arranged and Keith says a crowd of over 4,000 brought in much-needed funds for the cash-strapped club. Keith recalls that soon afterwards, Morecambe sold promising youngster Brian Thomson to West Ham for around £2,900 – "a lot of money in those days".

Thanks very much Rob and Keith for these marvellous memories.