FORMER Wanderers defender Joey O'Brien returns to the European stage this week hoping to replicate the good times he enjoyed with the Whites.

The 29-year-old will be part of the West Ham squad that kicks off their Europa league campaign at home to FC Lusitans of Andorra on Thursday night in the first qualifying round.

And while the minnows are a far cry from the illustrious opponents he faced seven years ago, the player who came through the ranks at Wanderers is hoping for a long run in the competition after some memorable occasions in Europe with Gary Megson's side in 2007-8.

O'Brien, who left Wanderers four years ago, told the West Ham website: "Those European games with Bolton were some of my best memories of playing.

"I remember playing in some great places like Marseille, Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid – teams you don’t come up against every season.

“It’s an early start for the early stages of European competition and the aim is to get into the Europa League proper and have some great nights throughout the season around Europe.

“You have to get through these first few games, which will be the hardest at the start of pre-season trying to get the match sharpness back.

"They’re hard games, but hopefully we can get off to a good start with a good win on Thursday.

“It will be a great night. It’s the start of a new season, the start of a European campaign and hopefully it’s going to be a long European campaign.

"We want it to be the first game of many."