west ham wedgewood plaque

In the summer of 1981, Aberdeen FC was feeling very confident in the world of football and the board of directors decided that it was time to test new waters by hosting a pre-season tournament at Pittodrie Stadium. The guest teams were West Ham United, Southampton and Manchester United.

The Dons won their own tournament, pretty easily considering the opposition. On 1st August 1981 the took on West Ham United who presented the Club with the porcelain plaque shown here. It was made by the famous Wedgewood company, mounted in a gold frame with a claret coloured felt surround.

The match against the Londoners saw a comfortable 3-0 victory for the Dons who went on to play Southampton next day in the Final, where they easily won by 5-1 with the goals spread around the team. Sadly the tournament did not prove to be the draw that the directors had hoped for, despite the well-known teams involved, and Aberdeen have not attempted to repeat the event since.

This was the only occasion when Aberdeen have played against the Hammers throughout their history.