Twelve months after the anticlimax of capitulation to Crystal Palace in the play-off final, Alan Pardew brought his team back to the Millennium Stadium to face Preston North End yesterday ­ and left with a place in the Premiership courtesy of Bobby Zamora's second-half goal. In the programme, Zamora was hailed by his goalkeeper, Jimmy Walker, as "a true cockney and cool guy". This time West Ham United's dreams did not fade and die. Sunderland drew 0-0 in Budapest before winning the return leg 2-0 at Roker Park.. However, Marseilles and Borussia Dortmund are potential opponents as the competition comes to a head.Vasas met Sunderland in the first round of the 1973-74 Cup-Winners' Cup following their FA Cup final victory over Leeds. Victory would hand Graeme Souness's men a place in the semi-finals and a chance of reaching one of the three finals, for which the prize is a Uefa Cup place.For a side which has reached the second group phase of the Champions' League and the latter stages of the Uefa Cup in the last three seasons, that should be achievable. The successful club in that tie will meet Newcastle in round three. Vasas of Hungary - whom Sunderland defeated on their first foray into Europe in 1973 - will enter the competition in the first round after finishing 13th in their domestic league.

Newcastle learned yesterday the identity of the first of three clubs they could face in their opening Intertoto Cup match in July. I expected it to be like it was, and even though it's the end of the season, I've not sensed any tiredness, just great enthusiasm.". "He had a bit of a break from the game at the end of the season while his hamstring healed."That is something I felt he needed because he was one of the few Chelsea players that played frequently over a long period. When other forwards were out injured he was a constant in the team, so it was a very intense period for him."But he played 70 minutes last week and yesterday was also very important for him. When Liverpool scored their goals, the Italians still had players behind the ball, they were not trapped in hubris, and when the storm had passed, Milan continued to play threatening football - indeed, they would have won but for the miraculous work of Jerzy Dudek.Liverpool found a way to win, as they did earlier against the champions of Italy and England, Juventus and Chelsea, that was an extraordinary testament to their spirit. It is groundless, a fact confirmed by the briefest re-examination of events in Istanbul. At no time did Milan abandon the game that had given them a three-goal advantage.

It was, after all, rather easier to play the champions of Iceland than the fourth-placed team of Spain, England or Italy.The purist view may rightly lament the fact that the current competition is Uefa's compromise in the face of the threat of a super-league breakaway, but the reality is that the decision made the challenge of winning it that much more difficult.In the old days, the Uefa Cup was seen as the competition where new, and serious contenders for the big trophy announced themselves; they were often teams plainly on the rise.That a rule change may be necessary for Liverpool to take their place should not cause dismay. When it was truly a champions' Cup, the challenge to reach the later stages was much less intense. When rules have been outstripped by events, have become capable of monstrous injustice and, as Liverpool's Rafael Benitez has pointed out, a breakdown in common sense, they have to be changed.Another worry of some is that Liverpool won the trophy ultimately by default, that they merely benefited from a complete collapse by Milan. You can be a star in England, but when you come to America you can be lost But with David it is a different ball game He is known throughout the world.". Latecomers to the campaign to ensure that Liverpool are granted the right to defend their brilliantly achieved Champions' League title should not be scorned. With New York being a rival candidate city he was reluctant to be drawn on the subject but did say: "It's obviously a massive thing for me, a real honour."It is not hard to see why London want him there. The reception Beckham received in this city underlined his global reach.