Cole has starring role

Carlton Cole was in ecstatic mood after his goal against Birmingham City put the seal on a morale-boosting victory for West Ham United.

The England striker made it eight league goals this season with a brave header midway through the second half on Wednesday night. That confirmed a well-deserved 2-0 success in which he was voted man of the match and saw the club jump four places in the standings to 14th spot.

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"It was a massive win for us," he said. "I can't tell you how ecstatic the boys are in the changing room. We're so happy we got the result for the manager, the fans, the chairmen, ourselves, everyone. All of this went our way today and it panned out well.

"It was something we all deserved and we all needed - to lift the whole club - it was just fantastic. We just all dug in and got a good result."

Cole was also full of praise for Alessandro Diamanti after his free-kick opener on the stroke of half-time. "He is a master at them, we're lucky to have someone like him in our ranks to take free-kicks at such pressure times. The guy has a real talent."

"I have a good record at home. I am just so happy I got on the scoresheet. I think Alessandro's on seven, I'm on eight. I am quite happy to be still in the lead on the goalscoring front."

He may not have registered but home debutant Mido also earned plaudits from his new strike partner. "He did brilliantly. He held up the ball well and linked up with the midfielders as well. We have got some good strikers. We're all very much together and we just want positive vibes around the club, to carry on the season and progress up the league."