Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee began his career at West Ham aged 17, where he made his professional debut in the First Division against Tottenham Hotspur on 1st January 1983. He was a prolific goalscorer in the claret and blue of West Ham and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1986, when West Ham finished third and recorded their highest league finish to date. It was during this successful spell that Tony Cottee crossed paths with namesake Tony Gale, who played a key role in the side forming a notable defensive partnership with Alvin Martin.
By the end of the 1988 season, 23-year-old Cottee had already played 212 league games and scored 92 goals for The Hammers. This impressive goalscoring form resulted in Everton making him the most expensive player to be signed by a British club when on 2nd August 1988, he made the switch from West Ham in a £2.2 million deal.
Tony Cottee immediately endeared himself to the Goodison Park faithful, netting a hat-trick on his debut in a 4-0 home win over Newcastle United. During a six year spell at Everton, Cottee netted 72 league goals in 184 games before rejoining his boyhood club West Ham on 7th September 1994, much to Everton fans disapproval. He scored 23 more goals in 67 games during his second spell with The Hammers under the guidance of manager Harry Redknapp.
Cottee spent a year playing in Malaysia with Selangor where he won the League before he returned to England and signed for Football League Cup winners Leicester City for £500,000 in August 1997. He remained at Filbert Street until 11th September 2000, by which time he had played a total of 85 league games for the Foxes and scored 27 goals. During a 19-year career, Tony Cottee made over 600 appearances and represented England seven times.
Tony Gale
Tony Gale made 636 appearances as a defender during a 22-year career from 1977 until 1998, winning the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995. He also played for Fulham, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
After progressing through the youth ranks of Fulham, Gale was promoted to the first team ahead of the 1977-78 season. He narrowly missed out on promotion to the First Division during the 1982-83 season, with Fulham finishing in fourth place and a single point behind Leicester City. The following season he joined The Hammers for £200,000 in order to play in the First Division and went on to make over 300 appearances.
In 1993, West Ham returned to the top tier of English football, now rebranded as the Premier League, and finished in 13th position, which was Gale's final season with the club.
Receiving a call from Blackburn Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish he decided to move to Ewood Park where he made 15 appearances in the club's 1994-95 Premier League winning campaign.
