Thanks to the Fair Play League, West Ham got the reward of starting the new season ridiculously early.
After getting past the not-too-considerable challenge of Andorra's Lusitanos in the Europa League's first round of qualifiers last night, they will now advance to two legs against Maltese opponents, Birkirkara.
The one advantage is that West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has been able to give his fringe and inexperienced players some game time.
And that has included an Irish player by the name of Josh Cullen, who is not that well known on these shores.
The 19-year-old featured in both legs against Lusitanos, coming off the bench in the first leg and getting a good half hour of action in, before starting yesterday's match.
A midfielder, the Essex-born player is a product of the Hammers academy and has good pedigree, having won the Dylan Tombides Award for Academy Player of the season in 2013-14.
On his West Ham profile page, the club describes his style as "unafraid to put himself about. A willing runner, he is the engine room at the heart of the Hammers' midfield".
They also cite this brilliant goal from the edge of the box against the Chelsea development squad:
Internationally, he switched allegiances from England to Ireland and has represented the Boys in Green at U19 level, having made his debut against the Netherlands last September.
It's just a start but he is certainly one to keep an eye on, given the lack of options coming through at Premier League level.
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