The first-team squad who have not been involved in international fixtures over June and early July returned to pre-season training on Thursday, and many will be involved in Monday’s match at Meadow Park against Boreham Wood tonight.

Senior players including Łukasz Fabiański, Jarrod Bowen, Danny Ings, Kurt Zouma, Flynn Downes Aaron Cresswell, Gianluca Scamacca, Pablo Fornals, Emerson and Angelo Ogbonna  are in the match day squad.

Conor Coventry will also be in contention with a host of youngsters including George Earthy. Kaelan Casey. Luizao Da Silva, Krisztian Hegyi. Joseph Anang, Dan Chesters, Levi Laing Gideon Kodua. Oli Scarles, Kamarai Swyer, Keenan Forson and Freddie Potts.

The Hammers made the trip over to Borehamwood for a pre-season match last season too, facing The Wood at Meadow Park in a 1-1 draw in early July.

Boreham Wood give the air of a team ready to challenge for a spot in the EFL.

Having entered the Vanarama National League in the 2014/15 season, the Wood have been a consistent performer in the division, regularly finishing in the play-off positions and challenging among the top sides in the competition.

A rise through the football pyramid has seen the side win Division One East in 2006, before promotion to the then-Conference South in 2010. Five years later, another promotion was achieved through the play-offs, and Boreham Wood’s rise continued.

A fourth-place finish in the National League in 2017/18 was followed by fifth in the 2018/19. Another fifth in the curtailed 2019/20 season was then followed by two finishes outside the play-off places –  14th and eighth, respectively – but last season’s efforts suggest Luke Garrard’s side are ready to push again this coming campaign. Losing to play-off winners Notts County in the semi-finals indicate they are not very far away.