West Ham 5 Tony Carr s All-Stars 1 WEST HAM S heroes of past and present paid a fitting tribute to the legendary Tony Carr at Upton Park on Wednesday night, but it was a man who had never graced the Academy of Football who st

By Dave Evans at Upton Park

West Ham 5 Tony Carr's All-Stars 1

WEST HAM'S heroes of past and present paid a fitting tribute to the legendary Tony Carr at Upton Park on Wednesday night, but it was a man who had never graced the Academy of Football who stole the show.

While Paolo Di Canio tried hard to relive his golden days in east London, but ultimately was hampered by the march of time, another man turned back the clock and showed what the Hammers have been missing all season.

From the moment that current boss Gianfranco Zola pulled on his boots and stepped up for a cameo performance at Carr's testimonial, the game suddenly came alive.

It must have been a proud moment for every West Ham fan when the PA announced that the two substitutes coming on were Zola and Di Canio - has there ever been a more talented duo of substitutes to wear a Hammers shirt?

Within minutes Zola had forced a fingertip save from Marek Stech, but then came the moment of magic.

Manuel Da Costa's clever pass put the manager away and as Stech came out to narrow the angle, the little Italian deflty chipped him and watched the ball bounce into the net.

When Zola was hauled off by Steve Clarke with a minute to go, it was to a standing ovation from the crowd and cries of 'sign him up,' and would that have been such a bad idea.

It is plain to see that Zola still has all the skills that made him one of the hottest properties in the Premier League with Chelsea.

He may be 43-years-old now, but who would you trust to turn a game round in the final 20 minutes with a cameo performance - Zola or Benni McCarthy, Guillermo Franco or even Alessandro Diamanti.

Zola aside, it was the occasion rather than the game that enthralled at Upton Park on Wednesday.

A healthy crowd of 13,836 turned out to pay tribute to Carr as well as a glittering array of players.

Chelsea trio Frank Lampard, John Terry and Joe Cole were not allowed to play by Carlo Ancelotti, but all turned up in the West Ham kit and were given generous receptions from the crowd - Cole predictably, being given a standing ovation.

Michael Carrick and Glen Johnson were unable to attend, but send messages for Carr, but England captain Rio Ferdinand was there, was allowed by Alex Ferguson to play 20 minutes, which turned into 29 as the ball refused to go out of play with Elliott Ward waiting on the sidelines, until referee Andy D'Urso was forced to halt proceedings to let Ferdinand off.

It must have been an emotional time for Anton Ferdinand, who was able to play alongside his brother for the first time in defence, while Kieran Richardson and Liam Ridgewell both showed their commitment to Carr by coming down from Sunderland and Birmingham to play in the match.

Before Zola's appearance, it was Di Canio who was the darling of the crowd. The Italian had a stint playing for both teams and though he never really got a shot in, his efforts were appreciated by the crowd and he was even announced as the man of the match.

West Ham didn't skimp on their first-team players either. Aside from England men Carlton Cole and Matty Upson, most of the squad were involved at some point, with Alessandro Diamanti, seemingly destined to leave the club in the summer, reminding everyone what he can do when given the chance.

For the All-Stars there were appearances from Luton's Adam Newton, Swansea's Leon Britton and former Irish international Matty Holland.

Stuart Slater and Grant McCann also started along with Freddie Eastwood from Coventry, while the list of replacements included Kyel Reid, Tony Stokes, Stephen Purches, Andy Edwards, Terrell Forbes, Lee Hodges, Danny Williamson, Hogan Ephraim, Gary Alexander and Jerome John.

As if to illustrate just how many star players have passed through Carr's coaching academy over his 37 years at the club, there was also a half-time parade of the more senior players, who were not taking part in the game.

Alvin Martin, Paul Brush, Paul Allen, Bobby Barnes, Alan Dickens, Everald Laronde, George Parris, Tony Cottee, Steve Potts, Kevin Keen, Eamonn Dolan and Matthew Rush were all introduced to the crowd to rapturous applause.

As for the game itself there were one or two surprises and one or two familiar sights.

Luis Boa Morte returned to the starting line-up and showed once again that when he gets into the box, he simply refuses to shoot.

Freddie Sears grabbed his first goal for the club since his debut when he swept home Jordan Brown's cross to make it 4-1 to West Ham.

Perhaps no surprise was the displays of the next raft of West Ham talent who graced the pitch. Colombian striker Cristian Montano scored twice, though Di Canio may have been a little peeved at the youngster stroking it home from Zola's flick as he himself was on hand to score.

Jordan Brown showed that he is a very promising left back, while schoolboy Robert Hall, still only 16, must have been dazzled to be playing alongside stars who were plying their trade at the top level before he was born.

Diamanti scored the first goal, Montano and then Zola stretched that lead, before Williamson thumped in a shot to make it 3-1 with six minutes left.

There was still time for Sears' strike and Montano's second though before the final whistle heralded another standing ovation.

Some people say never see your idols after they have passed their best, but it depends on what you are expecting from them. Watching Di Canio with Zola, watching Olly Lee and Robert Hall play with some of the great stars of the game makes you think of the stars of the past, but also the budding stars of the future that make West Ham such a great club.

Much of that greatness is down to Tony Carr and this was indeed a fitting tribute to one of the great servants of the game at this and any other club.

Squads: West Ham: (starters) Green, Spector, Daprela, Gabbidon, Tomkins, Parker, Noble, Boa Morte, Franco, Diamanti, Stanislas. (replacements) Kurucz, Faubert, Kovac, Da Costa, Lee, Brown, Montano, Spence, Sears, Zola, Di Canio.

All-Stars (starters) Stech, Ridgewell, Ferdinand A, Ferdinand R, Newton, Britton, Holland, Slater, McCann, Eastwood, Di Canio. (replacements) Reid, Stokes, Richardson, Williamson, Purches, Ward, Forbes, Edwards, Hodges, Williamson, Ephraim, Alexander, John.

Attendance: 13,836.

Log on to www.newhamrecorder.co.uk to see our picture gallery of the night's events.