 In 1919 , still under King 's leadership , West Ham gained entrance to the Football League Second Division , their first game being a 1 – 1 draw with Lincoln City , and were promoted to Division One in 1923 , also making it to the first ever FA Cup Final to be held at the old Wembley stadium . Their opponents were Bolton Wanderers . This was also known as the White Horse Final , so named because an estimated 200 @,@ 000 people came to see the match ; spilling out on to the pitch , which had to be cleared prior to kick @-@ off , by " Billie , " a giant white horse ( actually grey ) being ridden by PC George Scorey . The Cup Final match itself ended 2 – 0 to Bolton . The team enjoyed mixed success in Division 1 but retained their status for ten years and reached the FA Cup semi @-@ final in 1933 . 
