We were the first match "on stage" on Friday 5 August; Alvin Martin returned for the third-fourth play-off against the Norway Under-21 side but Leroy Rosenior had not recovered from a knock received in the preceding game.

The Hammers had most of the play in the first half, winning five corner-kicks to the opposition's three, but missed several chances of gaining a lead. Eamonn Dolan hit the bar with one shot but our finishing was poor and it took a couple of excellent saves by Tom McAlister to keep the score-line blank. Then immediately after the interval we gave away a "gift goal"; repeated attacks produced no equaliser until Stuart Slater laid on a pass for Liam Brady to net from ten yards.

Another good run by Slater ended with him making a back-pass to Mark Ward; we thought it deservedly made the score 2-1 as Ward tucked the ball away but up went the linesman's flag for offside - and a 1 -1 count ordained a penalty shoot-out. Hammers found the net four times in succession (Stewart, McQueen, Brady and Keen each beating the goalkeeper); the Norwegians equalised the first two, but two stops by McAlister left us 4-2 overall winners. It was an "early call' for everyone on the return journey. Up at 4 a.m., on the coach to Tampeve Airport at 5, followed by a short flight that landed us in Helsinki at 6.15. We were due for a three-hour wait in the capital prior to the second leg to London, but eventually sat there for five hours due to the flight-computer at West Drayton going off the air. However - by picking up a two-hour time change en route- the Hammer's squad arrived at Heathrow around 1.15 on a baking hot afternoon. At least it provided the opportunity to catch up on sleep before training was resumed on the following Monday in preparation for a quartet of pre-season First Team squad games.