THERE were plenty of positives for West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola and reserves team coach Alex Dyer to take from last night's demolition of Birmingham City in the side's second Barclays Premier Reserve League South game at Upton Park.

While the 6-0 scoreline will undoubtedly impress all concerned at the club, perhaps the most uplifting sight on the night was the return to action of midfielder Valon Behrami.

The Swiss international made his first appearance since March 1, when he damaged his knee ligaments against Manchester City, and looked like he'd never been away, tormenting the visitors' defence throughout his 60 minutes on the pitch.

Another huge plus for Zola was the brace of goals from debutant Alessandro Diamanti. The striker, newly-acquired from Italian side Livorno for a fee of around £6million, curled in two free-kicks either side of the break to open his Hammers' account.

Young striker Zavon Hines also enjoyed a highly-successful evening's work with a hat-trick, while defender Bondz N'Gala found himself in advanced position to curl home a shot from the edge of the box.

Behrami appeared untroubled during the game, and he may have proved to his manager that he deserves a place on the bench for the weekend's trip to Wigan. Diamanti and Hines are also likely to be included in the squad, with both vying for a place alongside Carlton Cole in attack.