West Ham United and Paul Konchesky had the extreme bad fortune of running into a turbo-charged Steven Gerrard during one of the most thrilling FA Cup finals in the competition’s history, 20 years ago in Cardiff.
It is still referred to as ‘The Gerrard Final’ for a reason.
The Liverpool legend one of a select group, alongside Sir Stanley Matthews, to have a cup final named after him, such was the monstrous nature of his peerless performance on that fateful afternoon at the Millennium Stadium.
What would you sacrifice for FA Cup GLORY?
Surely not your Premier League status…
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United celebrates the win after the Premier League match between Fulham and West Ham United at Craven Cottage in London, England, on March 4, 2026.
Two decades later, that Liverpool loss is the closest West Ham have come to lifting the oldest, greatest cup competition in the game.
And while Paul Konchesky recently selected Yossi Benayoun as one of his most underrated teammates at West Ham United, arguably nobody epitomises the term better than Hayden Mullins.
Paul Konchesky and Carlton Cole reminisce about Hayden Mullins at West Ham United
Speaking on the Ironcast podcast, while even a prime Lothar Matthaus would have struggled to keep Gerrard on a leash that day, Konchesky does still wonder how that six-goal FA Cup final would have turned out had Mullins not missed it through suspension.
“Obviously, Hayden was devastated. We’re devastated for him,” Konchesky says. “To get to a Cup Final – he’s played in the run-in – and then on the day, you can’t play.”
FA Barclays Premiership: West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Mullins missed out after a squabble with Luis Garcia – instigated by the Liverpool attacker, by the way – saw both players handed a three-match ban during a springtime Premier League meeting at Upton Park.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
“I think Hayden, if you ask a lot of the players in that team, was someone who didn’t get as much credit as he probably deserved,” Konchesky adds.
“He was a Rolls Royce of a footballer,” interjects Carlton Cole, who played alongside Mullins for three years from 2006 to 2009.
“He tackled, he ran, he did the dirty work, didn’t moan, and probably kept the midfield together, because Hayden could play,” Konchesky remembers of a man the Hammers signed from Crystal Palace for just £600,000 in 2023.
“He was a good footballer with a good football brain. Like Coley said, he was a Rolls Royce.
“He was probably someone we missed in the final, as much as Carl Fletcher came in and was a fantastic backup. I think Hayden was someone that we probably missed to get to grips in that centre-midfield.
“Unless you knew football and played with him, you didn’t see how much he gave the team as an individual. He went under the radar because he did his work quietly. Never moaned, didn’t kick up a fuss. For him to miss a cup final was devastating.”
Where will West Ham finish this season? 📈 And who will be relegated? ⬇️
Mind the gap, Tottenham Hotspur 😂
Premier League table after 32 gameweeks with West Ham's Crysencio Summerville in background
Credit: Getty Images/Rob Newell – CameraSport
Javier Mascherano could not keep Mullins out of the team
Perhaps the greatest compliment is that one Javier Mascherano could not oust Mullins or Nigel Reo-Coker from the heart of the West Ham engine room. The Hammers had a future Barcelona and Argentina stalwart sitting on the bench behind their Reading-born enforcer.
“He definitely had a nickname. I don’t know if the fans know, but it was ‘Cash’ [short for Casual],” adds Cole. “Everything he did was just nonchalant, do you know what I mean? He was unbelievable. People used to call me ‘T’n’T’ – ‘touch and tackle!’ With him, he’s called ‘Cash’.
“I’ve never seen him have a bad touch! He kept Javier Mascherano out of the team!
“Nigel Reo-Coker fed off him really well because Nigel could get the ball and drive forward, but ‘Cash’ would always just sit there and protect. He’d marshal the back four and make sure you were protected.”
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox