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A look back at 25 years of the Hammers
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After the bitter disappointment that was the 1989 season, the Arena-Essex Hammers entered the Nineties facing a mini rider crisis. Throughout the close season Hammers fans had grown worried about the situation that appeared to be developing at Purfleet. The Speedway press reported that skipper Martin Goodwin, colourful Rob Tilbury and promising youngster Simon Wolstenholme all wanted away from the Arena raceway and Goodwin in particular expressed his desire to ride for a winning team - clearly a spin-off from 1989's traumas.
As things turned out, all three Hammers re-signed for the club along with Cradley Heath loanees Troy Pratt and Wayne Garratt. The gaps in the side caused by the loss of Ian Humphreys (to Hackney) and Malcolm Simmons (retirement) were filled by Rye House second string Kevin Brice and King's Lynn prospect Adrian Stevens. Stevens in particular looked to have the pedigree to make an impact at Purfleet - and along with Garratt and Pratt there would hopefully emerge a rider to fill that third heat leader slot.
The doors opened on the Hammers’ seventh season in March with the club lining up with a new team sponsor. Essex Radio had decided to pull out of team sponsorship after six seasons, so club owner Chick Woodroffe sponsored the side through his own Promotasport company.
Early team outings proved to be far from profitable, however, as the Hammers suffered home and away challenge defeats at the hands of local rivals Hackney. The most worrying aspect of the encounter was the form of Stevens at Waterden Road - he knocked up five straight zeroes. Things got worse the following week as Eastbourne repeated the Kestrels' feat by winning home and away matches.
But the Hammers re-grouped and started their National League programme with some good home results. They defeated Long Eaton, Exeter and early pacesetters Peterborough with some comfort and managed a thrilling draw against Middlesbrough.
But any hopes the Hammers - and boss Peter Thorogood - had of making an impression in the 1990 National League were destroyed during the first week of May when influential skipper Goodwin suffered serious neck and back injuries during a World Championship pile-up at Cradley Heath.
The in-form Pratt quickly followed his skipper into hospital when he crashed out during Eastbourne's league visit to Purfleet, sustaining shoulder and neck injuries – and all of a sudden the Hammers’ season was in tatters.
The Hammers proceeded to succumb 38-58 to the Eagles in the National League to signal a run of defeats. They lost narrowly at Middlesbrough and heavily at Glasgow and Berwick before being knocked out of the Knockout Cup following home and away victories for Newcastle. This was followed by a bitterly disappointing loss at home to basement club Milton Keynes, who won a controversial encounter at Purfleet by a two points.
Pratt returned in June for a local derby clash against Rye House - and the Hammers promptly won their first encounter for nearly two months. Things didn't improve after that, though, as Newcastle won again at the Arena and Glasgow repeated the dose the following week.
The Hammers were now in desperate trouble as they propped up the league table - the only light at the end of what was a long tunnel was the sight of Goodwin back on a bike at the end of July for some practice laps. This seemed to inspire his team-mates as they pulled off a great win away at Rye House, thanks to Stevens' best performance of the season.
When Goodwin returned the following week, Hammers travelled down the to Eastbourne and won by an astonishing 56 points to 39 AT Arlington - with Goodwin, Pratt and Tilbury all claiming maximums. Hammers then took care of Wimbledon with some comfort at Purfleet - and hopes were high that the Hammers could use the remaining weeks of season to make amends for their earlier traumas.
Ipswich spoiled that plan with victory in a last heat decider at Arena - and the season eventually finished on a low note. Despite home and away National League victories over an injury-hit Hackney, the Hammers lost home points to champions Poole and were heavily defeated at Ipswich and Wimbledon. To cap it all off, Goodwin and Pratt both finished the season on the injured list again.
Goodwin had managed to finish top of the Hammers' averages for the third season in a row, although Tilbury had emerged the fans favourite thanks to the part he played as stand-in skipper. Pratt and Garratt had entertained - and progressed - but Stevens was a major disappointment, averaging under five points a match for the Hammers.
But the biggest bombshell yet was dropped at the annual 12-lap Supernational Marathon individual meeting in October - club owner Chick Woodroffe announced he was putting the club up for sale.
Woodroffe was relinquishing his interest due to ill health and made it clear that the club would not continue if a buyer could not be found in time for the 1991 season. Fans were stunned - in the short history of speedway racing at the Arena-Essex Raceway, the club had not achieved team success but had often fielded entertaining sides to a solid fanbase. The thought that the club would be lost to the sport was too dire a consequence to contemplate........
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