 A future regular captain of the West Ham side, this season also saw his first captaincy, in a League Cup game on 19 September 1989 against his former club, Birmingham City, with manager Macari telling him "I'm making you captain today and I'm making you penalty taker too".Dicks was often cautioned and sent off by referees.His first red-card was in a match versus Wimbledon in the Football League Cup in the 1989–90 season.