Match of the Day debut a dream for happy Hammer John Hunt

The BBC's willingness to offer extra sporting variety on top of his regular racing responsibilities on Radio 5 Live were chief among John Hunt's decision not to take up an offer from ITV in 2016, and it must have been days just like Saturday he had in mind.

FA Cup third round day has been a date in the calendar when his radio bosses have regularly redeployed him to cover football, but Hunt broke new ground on Saturday when commentating for one of the broadcaster's most venerable institutions in Match of the Day.

To top off the experience, Hunt was dispatched to the London Stadium to call the action between West Ham, the club he has supported since childhood, and Birmingham.

John Hunt in the Match of the Day commentary position for West Ham's FA Cup third round tie against BirminghamCredit: Twitter / John Hunt

"The 'Beeb' have been great in terms of giving me opportunities when they pop up," said Hunt, who joined a very exclusive band of television commentators to have described a British gold medal at the Winter Olympics when Lizzie Yarnold slid for glory in the Skeleton Bob at the Pyeongchang Games last February.

"When I had a chat and they asked if I fancied a game on the telly for the third round, radio were very supportive and said go for it. It was lovely and I had a very enjoyable day."

Hunt made no special request for the Hammers' tie but said the production team's choice of game eased the pressure.

"They knew West Ham are my team and they felt that, given the new circumstances for me, if I had one team I knew very well, that would be half the battle in terms of research," he said.

"There was plenty to get my head round in terms of technicalities and a completely different working environment, so it was a really thoughtful decision."

West Ham's Andy Carroll was a central figure in the tieCredit: Getty Images

Hunt had to be on the ball early as Marko Arnautovic put West Ham ahead in the second minute, but then had to wait until injury time for Andy Carroll to put the game beyond doubt.

"Putting my West Ham hat to one side for 90 minutes, professionally it would've been very interesting if Birmingham could have forced a goal," said Hunt. "As a fan it was a very edgy watch, but then that's been the story watching West Ham for my whole life."

Hunt was on duty at the Sky Sports Racing studios on Sunday and, with no Olympic or Commonwealth Games this year, his next big assignment away from racing will take him back to South Korea for BBC's coverage of July's world swimming championships in Gwangju.

It's doubtful viewers unaware of Hunt's allegiance would have detected any trace during the highlights, though there was a hint of the BBC's legendary Rugby League commentator Eddie Waring's most famous line.

Hunt cried "he's missed it!" when Carroll wasted a great chance, unwittingly recalling Waring's call when Don Fox snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at the end of a man-of-the-match performance for Wakefield Trinity in the 1968 Challenge Cup Final.

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