Our Play-off Final clash against Preston North End will rekindle
fond memories for one member of the club's coaching staff.
Chief scout Roger Cross originally joined the club as a 15-year-old groundstaff boy in the summer of 1964 - just a couple of months after Ron Greenwood's team had beaten the Lilywhites in the FA Cup Final.
A lifelong Hammers fan who had grown up just a stone's throw from Upton Park, Roger was among the 100,000 crowd at Wembley to see a 3-2 victory that secured the first major cup triumph in the Club's history, and is hoping for a similar outcome in Cardiff on Monday.
"I was just about to join the Club when we played Preston in 1964 and they gave me and my parents tickets to watch the Final at Wembley," he recalls. "I can remember being so nervous - I actually felt physically sick during the game and couldn't really enjoy it until the final whistle blew.
"Seeing us play Preston again in a cup final will bring back some fond memories but I'm a little older now and hopefully I'll be able to enjoy the occasion itself more than I did as a 15-year-old!"
Now, 41 years on, Roger is responsible for providing Alan Pardew with reports on upcoming opponents and has therefore seen plenty of our Play-off Final rivals in recent weeks. Along with the manager, he travelled north to watch both of Preston's semi-final clashes against Derby County, and confirms that Hammers will be in for a tough encounter at the Millennium Stadium.
"From Christmas onwards, Preston have been excellent and there is no doubt that this will be a very tough game for us," says Roger. "We know what they can do - they play some good football and work very hard for each other.
"The two boys up front - Cresswell and Nugent - have formed a very good partnership together and complement each other well, while Lewis on the left wing is a very talented player and a fine crosser of the ball.
"We are aware of those players and their strengths but we are also aware of their weaknesses, and Alan and the players will be working hard this weekend to ensure that, when kick-off time arrives on Monday, we are ready for everything they throw at us."
Like so many of his colleagues and friends, Roger will be heading to the Millennium Stadium for the second year running this Bank Holiday weekend, hoping that Hammers can banish the memory of our disappointing defeat against Crystal Palace in last year's Final.
There is a real sense of belief around the Chadwell Heath training ground, 12 months on, that Alan Pardew's team will do exactly that, and Roger is quick to point out the various reasons behind the surge in confidence.
"I think the big difference is that we are coming into this game on a very good run of form," he says. "That is often the most important thing when you are involved in the play-offs - as Crystal Palace proved last year.
"We have lost just once in the last 12 games and our performance against Ipswich in the semi-final second leg was one of the best of the season. Because of that there is a lot of confidence among the squad and everyone is looking forward to the final.
"You try not to get too excited but the buzz is definitely there and it's hard to get away from it. Things are definitely more controlled this year, though, and the squad are handling it well.
"We have gained some very experienced players this season - the likes of Jimmy Walker, Chris Powell, Malky Mackay, Shaun Newton and Teddy Sheringham, and those guys will be a huge influence in the build-up to the Final."