Preseason Confirmed

West Ham United can now confirm the coming preseason schedule ahead of the new campaign now that contracts have been signed and final arrangements completed.

There are five first team games, starting with Bournemouth away on 15th July, followed by a brief Swedish tour taking in two games.

These are Atvidaberg on 22nd July and Djurgardens on 24th July.

Then there is a trip to Wycombe on 29th July.

PSV Eindhoven are the visitors to Upton Park on Friday, 1st August, a match for which ticket arrangements are elsewhere on the web site.

As far as the reserves are concerned, the action starts - as usual - with Purfleet on 16th July, followed by Dagenham and Redbridge on 19th July, Braintree on 30th July, and ending with St. Albans City on 4th August.

Meanwhile, Paolo Di Canio has been voted No. 1 in a poll commissioned to mark Fair Play Week by the NSPCC.

His sporting behaviour when he passed up a scoring opportunity while Paul Gerrard, Everton's keeper, lay injured, was felt by almost 40% of the poll to be the best example of fair play in professional sport, rated higher than Jack Nicklaus ensuring a tie in the 1969 Ryder Cup and John Francome sharing the National Hunt Jockeys' Championship with Peter Scudamore in 1981.

Diego Maradona was bottom of the poll for the infamous 'Hand of God' incident against England in the 1986 World Cup Finals, having been voted the worst of the worst.