Gianfranco Zola has paid tribute to the travelling army of West Ham United supporters ahead of another awayday on Tuesday night at Bolton Wanderers.
The Hammers faithful will be out in force again at the Reebok Stadium, just four days after nearly 4,000 made the trip to Birmingham City, only to see the side come away with nothing from a hard-fought encounter. Those at St. Andrews - including a line of ten festive fans dressed as Father Christmas - made themselves heard throughout the match despite the 1-0 scoreline.
Mindful of the sacrifices supporters make at this time of year when travelling up and down the motorways, particularly in midweek, Zola said: "The fans will be important once again. They were simply fantastic on Saturday and I can't ask for anything more from them. It is up to us to deliver. They have been really good for us and we need to give them something to smile about."
This will be the second trip to Bolton this season after the Carling Cup third-round tie on 22 September. Herita Ilunga put the visitors in front on the hour only for Bolton to equalise right at the end of the 90 minutes and then run out 3-1 winners after extra time.
Zola said: "We have already played Bolton this season and we know what to expect and what will be required of us on the night. I know how they will approach the game and we need to make sure we are ready.
"It is not down to how Bolton play though, it is down to us to impose ourselves on the match and make sure we can cope with their style. That is the main thing. There won't be anything unexpected but I am sure the players know the importance of the match. We will be ready."
The manager will be without Mark Noble while Matthew Upson remains doubtful. He could consider starts for Manuel da Costa - so impressive on his first-team debut last time out at Bolton before being substituted with a knock after Ilunga's goal - and Kieron Dyer. The latter was lively off the bench at Birmingham and came closest to an equaliser.
"We are all disappointed with the weekend but we have an opportunity to make up for it straight away. This is a positive and, like last year, when the games come quickly it gives you a chance to turn things around straight away. We will probably have the same squad, except for Mark Noble.
"Kieron Dyer is fit and did well when he came on at Birmingham. We will see how we line up. We need to be positive and we will go into the match with this attitude."