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Dublin Hammers Trip - Burnley - Saturday 8th November 2025

West Ham United 3 vs Burnley 2

The first official Dublin Hammers trip of the 2025/26 season saw a change of game to the one originally planned. The committee had suggested the Newcastle game but following a change of heart it was decided to do the Burnley game instead the following week. I didn’t mind as any time I’ve gone to see us play Newcastle over the years we were beaten. Thankfully not only did we win the game against Newcastle, but Tommy Noctor’s standard 3-1 bet paid off handsomely for him.

Anyway, we meet at Dublin airport for the 8.30am flight to Stanstead and after winning the previous week there is a quiet confidence about the game. The usual bunch are there minus Gary (I could put away my earplugs) and the President (I won’t be embarrassed at the quiz) and we welcomed some new travellers to the fold.

An uneventful flight accompanied by a large contingent of Spurs fans sees us land at Stanstead. Off we head to meet our luxurious coach (which was slightly late) and we head to Stratford. Traffic was a bit busier than usual which gave Liamo time to rant about the later flight, but as it transpired we still had loads of time for breakfast and refreshments. On the bus Bad News informed us about the plans for the weekend between the interruptions from Liamo (I can see a gagging order in the future) and he also reminded us that "we were all adults who can make our own decisions".

When we got to the Bull we dropped our bags and headed to Meze café for breakfast. There was some confusion and unexpected delays due to the staff on duty – Tom Jones was first to order but last to get served. It is alleged (in case there is a court case) that someone else claimed his breakfast while he was in the toilet. Meanwhile at our table the standard order was for a Number 2 or 4 breakfast except Jake!! Bloody hell he just had to complicate the morning by ordering soup and a chicken sandwich!

Anyway after brekkie it was off to the Bull for a beer or three where there was much merriment. The Bull was quieter than usual as there was a fans march on in protest at the owners (like they give a shite!). I left and headed to the ground with Jake and Dessie to meet the author Robert Banks.

While we were waiting we met this couple visiting from Brisbane. It turned out that he had met and shook the hand of the great Bobby Moore when he was playing non-league football many years ago in London and his wife had grown up in Ballymun, drank in the Comet (one of the few pubs in Dublin where you’re advised to wipe your feet on the way out!) and whose granny lived in Larkhill – all areas I grew up in also.

The game itself was not overly exciting but the win was welcome – except for Areola dropping the ball and ruining a two week run for Tommy’s 3-1 bet! Then it was back to the Bull for the post-match analysis, a few beers, grab our bags and head to Romford for check in.

The plan for the night was taxis to the Drill (listed as Romford, Liamo) where there was karaoke and pints. Now I’m not the biggest fan of Karaoke I’ll be honest, but our singers at least sing songs that suit them. The other punters in the pub never got that memo hence we had to endure a number of tone deaf people murdering classic songs – I’ll have nightmares and flashbacks when I hear some of those songs again. Our best singers took to the floor with Hugh singing 'A Little Respect' and Bad News and the co-DJ giving us 'Don’t You Want Me Baby'. Later on, young James got in on the act with a rousing rendition of 'Our House'.

After that some of the crew headed to Yates where despite the small crowd in the venue they had a great time on the dancefloor as the DJ played all their requests. The even pulled drinks behind the bar and had the barmaid up dancing with them.

The following morning saw us meet in Wetherspoons where Liamo abused all and sundry. There were discussions on potential managers, ex-players, future DH plans and everything else. Tommy did advise that Julian Dicks would not be a good choice as manager as when things started to go wrong the crowd shouting “Dicks Out” could cause some confusion.

We made our way to the Bull in Romford where we were going to meet the bus back to Stanstead. On the way the lads decided to make sure one retailer had a great day as they bought new Sergio Tacchini tops – no doubt you’ll see them modelling them at some stage.

There was no beer or KFC on the bus (is this a new plan on healthier lifestyles or cutbacks) so the trip back to the airport was quieter than usual. Into Stanstead and the long line for security. Once through that, it was straight to the Windmill pub where Brian (Top Man) Madden produced a few pizzas to keep us all going. Then it was time to head to the Ryanair queue and back to Dublin.

A few of the lads ventured into Brannigans to finish off the weekend in style while the rest of us headed home. A fantastic weekend as ever (despite Liamo moaning) – massive thanks to all involved especially Tom Jones who made sure the two days went by without any hitches.

Special thaks to Gerry Murtagh for writing the report. The photos are from everyone! back to top of page