In 1958, West Ham United emerged from a 26 year-old hibernation outside top flight football winning the Second Division championship with 101 points. This is the story of how this was achieved starting with the foundation in the early 50's. Throughout a decade when the East End of London still struggled to shrug off the cloak of World War II, the Hammer’s manager built a formidable team. From 1956 to 1959 West Ham United fielded six full internationals. In 1958, the young Bobby Moore came into the side and by 1959 Geoff Hurst was emerging. The Championship side was full of talent with the likes of Ernie Gregory, John Bond, Noel Cantwell, John Dick and Vic Keeble. But the foundation had been laid earlier in the Fifties, a bedrock made up of sweat and lesser known players like Doug Wragg and Gerry Gazzard and the leading members of the famed ‘Football Academy’, Malcolm Allison and Frank O’Farrell.