Indeed, restored to the starting XI for the subsequent trip to Sheffield Wednesday (2-2), Cottee finally got off the mark at Hillsborough ahead of scoring eight goals in eight matches.
After his spluttering start, the rejuvenated striker began firing on all cylinders, eventually scoring 26 times, while the in-form Hammers embarked upon a record-breaking, unbeaten top-flight run of 18 games that extended through until Boxing Day.
“Growing up as a fan, I’d always considered us to be a top team,” contends the once-capped England U21 international. “Even today, I watch The Big Match Revisited and, for me, West Ham played the best football out of everyone in the 1970s and 1980s. There was no reason why the Club couldn’t compete for those higher places, but we just couldn’t find the consistency needed over 42 matches.
“But in 1985/86 something changed and, as games rolled-on, it was obvious that Frank and Wardie had brought something into the team that, Billy Bonds aside, we hadn’t had before.
“West Ham had always been too nice. Coming through the Academy, we had to tuck our shirts in, pull-up our socks and behave in the ‘West Ham Way’. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with having discipline and those traits but you need a ‘nasty’ streak, too.
“Until then, we hadn’t been renowned for that but Frank and Wardie could be ‘horrible’ opponents – not in a malicious or spiteful way but they’d certainly leave defenders knowing they’d been in a game.
“Liverpool and Everton had Steve McMahon and Peter Reid-type characters and, suddenly, we’d two players bringing steel into our team. Everyone started realising it wasn’t just about playing lovely football. Teams like, say, Wimbledon, never seemed worried about that. Now, we were all working really hard for each other and I’d added a bit more aggression into my game, too.”