Curbishley putting his faith in born-again Hammer Cole

The 23-year-old was in danger of becoming one the enigmas of the Barclays Premier League.

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Hailed as a future England star while a teenager at Chelsea, Cole's profile faded as quickly as it had risen and he started the season at Upton Park as fourth choice behind Dean Ashton, Craig Bellamy and Bobby Zamora.

All three are now out injured and with two goals in his last three games, including a midweek winner at Coventry in the Carling Cup, Cole was set to lead the line again when Bolton are the visitors on Sunday.

Curbishley was convinced a ruthless summer fitness regime was the reason behind the re-emergence of a player he had inherited from Alan Pardew.

He said: "When I came here last Christmas he had hardly played a game and wasn't looking fit. The senior players didn't play in the reserves but there was an FA Cup game here against Brighton and I threw five players in to assess them and he was one. He scored but looked shattered.

"So in the summer we sat down and told him that if he was to have any chance he would have to get himself fit and be ready to be called upon. Before he hadn't been in a position to take advantage.

"He knew he still had people in front of him but the main thing was to be fit enough to take his chance when it came and that's what he has done.

"He had been drifting and had got used to that. He scored against Brighton and stayed in against Fulham but after 80 minutes he was shattered when we had already made three subs and Bobby Zamora then got sent off. He couldn't cope then but now he is an position to show people what he can do.

"He has grown up here but he is not a young player any more. He has had to win over a few people here - me, the staff and some fans.

"He had to apply himself more and think about the game and how he could force his way in. The way looked blocked for him but we kept telling him it could easily change."

Curbishley will be without a number of players on Sunday, with Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg and Kieron Dyer all still out. Midfielders Mark Noble and Hayden Mullins are both doubts after being forced off early at Coventry, which also saw defender Anton Ferdinand suffer a hamstring injury.

But Curbishley insisted: "It is something we have just got to get on with. The players deserve great credit. They stood firm, a few were asked to play out of position and get on with it and we have been picking up results."

Midfielder Nolberto Solano and striker Henri Camara are available again after missing the Coventry game because they had played for their previous clubs, Newcastle and Wigan respectively, in an earlier round.