For the second time in eight days, Birkirkara were the talk of the nation.

Last week, the Stripes players, officials and supporters sang their way back from Armenia after a 3-1 victory over Ulisses FC in Yerevan propelled them into the second qualifying round of the Europa League.

This time, the mood on the late-night chartered Air Malta flight from London was less boisterous but nevertheless upbeat after the Stripes had defied expectations by restricting West Ham United to a single goal at Upton Park on Thursday.

James Tomkins’s last-gasp winner was all that separated the two teams after Giovanni Tedesco’s never-say-die troops had frustrated the English Premier League side for all but the last minute of regular time.

West Ham’s winner arriving so late in the game inevitably felt like a crushing blow but it did little to dampen the feelings of satisfaction and pride elicited by Birkirkara’s valiant display.

Tedesco admitted that the manner of his side’s defeat in the first leg encounter left him with a sour taste but he was quick to pay tribute to his players for their stirring display.

“I’m gutted that we conceded a goal so late in the game,” the Italian said.

“We had succeeded in keeping West Ham at bay for 90 minutes but we gave away a soft goal in the end.

“At the same time, I couldn’t have asked more of my players. They really gave everything, they were disciplined and focused and I’m very proud of them.”

Few, if anyone, had given Bir-kirkara a ghost of a chance to frustrate the more-fancied Londoners away from home.

Around 33,000 turned up at Upton Park expecting a goal glut against the Maltese team after Slaven Bilic sent out a stronger side than he did for their first-round clashes with Lusitans.

However, their optimism gave way to relief at the end as Tomkins spared West Ham blushes.

Tedesco set his team out in a 4-1-4-1 formation but switched to five at the back in the second half, a move intended to give his team more protection on the flanks in light of West Ham’s penchant to play the ball wide.

“I started with four at the back as the idea was to have the two wide players, Liliu and Edin Murga, tracking back to offer support to the flank defenders,” Tedesco said.

“West Ham were switching the ball wide and delivering crosses into our box. Their approach didn’t surprise me but in the first half we had some problems to contain them on the wings.

“This was why I changed to five at the back for the last 25 minutes as I felt that this strategy would enable us to cover the pitch better.

“In fact, we created our best chances after this tactical adjustment.”

Although West Ham remain in pole position to advance to their next round of the Europa League, Tedesco is happy that Birkirkara are still in with a chance.

Tie in the balance

He knows that his team have it all to do against the superior Hammers but he is not giving up hope.

“The most positive thing after the away leg is that the qualification issue is still open,” the former Floriana mentor reflected.

“The way I see it, we still have a chance and we will try to make the most of it.”

Birkirkara were superb at the back with goalkeeper Justin Haber and Argentine Mauricio Mazzetti pulling out all the stops to thwart West Ham time and again.

While Tedesco was delighted with his team’s defensive prowess, he believes that Birkirkara must be more effective in attack if they are to cause West Ham problems at the National Stadium next Thursday (kick-off 8.45pm).

“We need to be more constructive, particularly in attack,” Tedesco said.

“It’s not only a question of the strikers playing better, we need to have more impetus going forward.”

Tedesco will also be hoping that Paul Fenech recovers from the injury that forced him to leave the field early in the second half at Upton Park.

The captain made way for Kurt Zammit after taking a nasty knock to his heel as he cleared a shot in the first half.