WEST Ham’s man of the moment Carlton Cole insists the team are ready for life after Craig Bellamy, as the Wales international puts the final touches to his £14million move to Manchester City this week.

Cole has proved he is more than capable of stepping up to the plate, having racked up five goals in his last five games for the Hammers.

And manager Gianfranco Zola will be expecting the former Chelsea forward to shoulder the brunt of the scoring responsibilities as he urgently scours the market for a suitable replacement.

The 25-year-old claims he is ready to accept the challenge, while he remained confident that the Irons’ squad has the resources to deal with Bellamy’s departure.

“Yes (we can do well without Craig). Last season we did well and he was injured, we did well without him, so I don’t see why not,” stated Cole. “We’ve got good players to come in and do the job. Craig is a great player for us and he no doubt boosts our confidence when he is in the starting line up, but we have just got to keep on going.”

Cole has benefited from some one-on-one tutoring from the gaffer, and the results are evident, having already scored more goals at this stage of the campaign than he has in an entire season.

“I’ve never scored goals consistently really in my career. Now I am asking a lot more of myself and trying to get in more goalscoring positions and it is just happening for me right now,” continued Cole.

“The manager certainly has been working one on one with me and I also have lots of processes that I go through before the games. That is helping me and I’ve just got to keep on doing them.”

The emphasis will be on Cole to continue his free-scoring form as the team try to push for a UEFA Cup place.