Carlton Cole: Mobbed by his team-mates after netting against Fulham

Cole left West Ham in the summer after seven years at the club, but he was unable to find another club and returned to Upton Park in October on a short-term deal as cover for the injured Andy Carroll.

The 30-year-old stepped off the bench to score West Ham's second goal in the 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, and he now hopes he can start finding the back of the net on a regular basis.

"Once you score you feel you can get in a rhythm and score more so hopefully there will be more to come for me now," said Cole, whose contract expires in January.

"Hopefully they will be important goals. I want to keep the momentum and doing the right thing.

"I want to stay, of course, and I'm very confident. I know the ins and outs of the club. Sometimes change is good but I'm here and have been here for so long - I'd like to stay on.

"It's up to the manager. I can only play my best and try to play to my capacity on the field. Whatever they will do in the future is beyond my control.

"We'll see how it goes. I'm fit now, I've always been working for my fitness and the manager has been waiting for the right time for me to start.

"Hopefully I've done myself a favour and will get a start soon. I'll wait for the manager to make the decision."

The win over Fulham lifted the Hammers three points clear of the relegation zone ahead of Tuesday's crucial clash at fellow strugglers Crystal Palace.

"We saw the Fulham game and the Crystal Palace game as six-pointers," Cole added. "So the next game is another big game for us.

"Hopefully we can get our first back-to-back wins of the season. We're doing our match preparations now, we're ready."