success in men's competitions, but this did not happen. The A boys' (U 19) team soon disintegrated, and the key players joined Reipas Lahti, now relocated from Viipuri, as that club had been promoted into 1950 Suomensarja. However, this turned out to be only a French visit, and ended in relegation, and at the same time, Maila-Pojat were not able to achieve a promotion to the provincial series. However, in 1955 they at last did succeed in this. Promotion into Suomensarja The manager of the Finland national football team, Kurt Weinreich joined the coaching team of Pallo-Miehet before the 1957 season. Under Weinreich's influence, less emphasis was put on fielding strikers, and the season began with clear victories. During the last round of matches, Pallo-Miehet faced HPK of Hämeenlinna. HPK only needed a draw in order to gain promotion, whereas only a win would do for Pallo-Miehet. The match ended with 2–1 for the Lahti team, which thus was promoted to 1958 Suomensarja. After the promotion into the Suomensarja, the president of the club announced that the next goal was promotion into the Mestaruussarja, i.e. 'Championship Series.' However, during the following season, the club fielded mostly minors in the men's team, and did not acquire players from any other sources. At the end of the season, the club was left seventh in the series, and was the last team to avoid relegation. However, during the seasons that followed, the Pallo-Miehet was consistently found to be one of the best teams in the series. After the 1959 season, Pallo-Miehet was transferred to the eastern section of Suomensarja, instead of the western section, where their local rivals Reipas Lahti also played. Both teams were among the best in this competition, and at the end of the season Reipas achieved promotion into the Mestaruussarja. In the 1962 and 1963 seasons, Pallo-Miehet came second in the eastern section, but they did not gain promotion into the Mestaruussarja. Financial difficulties and evolving into Upon Pallo Although the club had considerable success in sports, it found itself in great financial difficulties. In the autumn of 1963, the debts of the club had reached 11 000 Finnish Marks. This situation grew worse due to the clubs activities in ice hockey, which it had begun at the beginning of that decade, and it was suggested that the club abandon this sport. Pallo-Miehet then turned to the white goods