a transfer request in June 2002, saying he decided his career would be best served away from Spurs. However, no transfer was forthcoming, and he broke into the first team during the 2002–03 season, when he made 25 appearances. despite a lay-off with an ankle injury. He scored his first Premier League goal in a 2–2 draw with Everton on 17 August 2002. In August 2003, Etherington joined West Ham United in an exchange deal plus cash for Frédéric Kanouté amid a formal complaint made to the FA by Peterborough at the valuation placed on Etherington, who would have benefited from a sell-off clause had it been greater than £500,000, the price at which Peterborough sold Etherington to Tottenham in 1999. Etherington made 51 appearances for Tottenham, 28 of these as a substitute, scoring two goals against Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup and Everton in the Premier League. West Ham United Etherington joined West Ham at the beginning of their two-year spell in the second-tier of English football, playing the final season of the First Division and the first of the Championship. Signed by manager Glenn Roeder, he was part of a transfer deal which saw West Ham player Frédéric Kanouté move to Tottenham and Etherington and £3.5 million coming to West Ham. Etherington's West Ham debut came on 9 August 2003 as he created the chance for David Connolly to score West Ham's winning goal in a 2–1 away win at Preston North End. His opening goal came just over a month later, on 16 September 2003. Now under the managership of Trevor Brooking, following the sacking of Glenn Roeder, West Ham beat Crewe Alexandra 3–0 at Gresty Road in the first ever Football League meeting between the clubs, with Etherington scoring the third goal. His only red card during his West Ham career was in a 1–1 away draw with Norwich City on 21 February 2004 when he was sent off for two bookable offences. Etherington was a hit at Upton Park, scoring several goals including a hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Wimbledon on 9 March 2004. He won the "Hammer of the Year" award in his first season at the club and played a significant part in helping the club get to the 2004 Championship play-off final by scoring in the 2–0 win over Ipswich Town in the second leg of the play-off semi-final. Etherington