It was a freezing afternoon in Swansea back on the 3rd March 2018. West Ham travelled in the snow to the Liberty Stadium in what was being described as a ‘relegation six pointer’ with 11 games remaining in the season.
It turned out to be a disastrous day for West Ham who were played off the pitch in a 4-1 defeat that left both them and Swansea three points away from the relegation zone.
Few Hammers fans would’ve predicted it would be their side staying up come the end of the season and Swansea that would drop into the Championship. Also, nobody would’ve guessed that it would still be for Winston Reid, the West Ham centre-back, his most recent appearance for the club.
What happened?
He was substituted in the 27th minute after he was knocked unconscious during a goalmouth scramble. But manager, David Moyes, who was in his first spell in charge of the East London side said to BBC Sport, “we are more worried about the injury to his knee than the knock to his head. He’s an important player for us so we hope it’s not too bad.”
It would be that knee injury what would keep Reid out for around 16 months. Following that injury he did play in a pre-season friendly in the summer of 2019 but Reid sustained another knee injury that resulted in another three months on the sidelines.
A Club Legend
West Ham signed Reid in August 2010 and he became a first team regular for many years. He won promotion to the Premier League with West Ham in 2012, the following season he won the Hammer of the Year award. The likes of Arsenal were rumoured to be interested in signing him but he stayed with West Ham.
Reid went onto captain the side on a few occasions and most notably, he scored the final ever goal at Boleyn Ground, the winner in a 3-2 victory over Manchester United in 2016. It was a night that lives long in the memory of any West Ham fan.
He was extremely popular amongst the fans due to him being such a long-serving player and being consistent over many seasons. Scoring the last goal ever at Upton Park secured his legendary status.
However, after such a long time out Reid was a simply forgotten man and surplus to requirements when fit to play again, as well as lacking any match fitness.
Return to the Pitch
In February 2020, the fit again New Zealander went on loan to MLS club Sporting Kansas City for some much-needed minutes. But now, Reid is back in English football with promotion chasing Championship side Brentford. He signed on loan for the remainder of this season back in January.
He is becoming an important member of the Brentford team, bringing some much-needed experience into a young, talented squad. Manager Thomas Frank said in a recent press conference, “With Winston, just his presence on the pitch is spreading among his team-mates.” He continued “we knew when we signed him we needed his personality and experience.”
Brentford currently sit in third in the table with six games remaining this season. At the moment, Brentford look set to head into the play-offs for the second season in a row, for the chance to gain promotion to the Premier League.
Ian Westbrook, BBC News website sub-editor and writer for West London Sport, said to Rising East, “Reid has turned in a series of calm, assured and solid performances for Brentford so far. He signed when we were down to our last two fit centre-halves and provided some much-needed experience to the side.”
Westbrook is also a contributor at Beesotted – a Brentford website and podcast. On whether Reid will make his move to the West London side permanent, he said, “I guess whether he stays with the Bees depends on which division we are in next season. His knowhow would probably be more use in the Premier League and if Pontus Jansson and Ethan Pinnock remain with us, then he would be behind them in the pecking order. I wouldn’t mind if he stayed as part of the squad though.”
Play-Off Problems
Brentford have never been promoted via the play-offs, in a record nine attempts, most recently losing last season’s play-off final to rivals, Fulham. Westbrook jokes, “no Brentford fan predicts success this way (via the play-offs)!”
He continued “automatic promotion probably looks beyond us now – although we do have a game in hand on Watford and play them in our last home game. We should be in the play-offs.”
Ask any West Ham fan and they will look back and tell you fond memories of Winston Reid, someone that played for the badge, showed grit and determination, someone who’s Irons’ legacy which spanned over 194 appearances, will never be forgotten.
