Manager on Monday

Both Gianfranco Zola and his West Ham United team will be aiming to make history at Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday.

Neither Zola, during his successful playing career, nor the Hammers have ever tasted victory at the Reebok Stadium.

In ten previous visits to the ground, which opened in 1997, West Ham have suffered defeat on seven occasions, securing draws in the three other meetings. Zola, meanwhile, left Bolton's new home with draws in both of his two playing appearances at the Reebok.

As such, the manager knows his team will be in for a battle when they travel to take on Gary Megson's side in midweek. Zola is determined to make the return trip south having collected three vital Barclays Premier League points and moved clear of the relegation zone.

"It would be very, very good to win at the Reebok for the first time. It's going to be very, very tough, there's no doubt about that. For us, every game has become tough, especially in this moment, so we must really be prepared to play tough games."

Zola also insisted his players were mentally strong and confident in their abilities following Saturday's frustrating 1-0 defeat by Birmingham City at St. Andrews.

"I think we are OK. Obviously it was tough to see us lose a game like Saturday's. We didn't expect that, but we are strong enough to cope with this."

One player who is getting stronger all the time is Kieron Dyer, who produced a lively display after being sent on as a second-half substitute at Birmingham.

The 30-year-old rattled the inside of Joe Hart's post with a fine run and shot just seconds after coming on, and continued to pose a threat for the remainder of the game.

Zola believes the midfielder is getting ever closer to a first start since the Carling Cup third-round loss at Bolton on 22 September, but revealed he could well remain as a substitute for the time being.

"We know with Kieron, it is just a matter of time. We know he cannot play for the whole 90 minutes, so we just try to use him at the moment where we think he will be more effective. We believe that towards the end when the opposition is tired he can be more effective. Until he's going to be ready and fit to start again. It's close to that, but we don't think he's ready."