AVRAM Grant’s tenure as West Ham manager got off to a winning start as the Hammers recorded a 2-1 victory over Peterborough at London Road last night.

Forward Carlton Cole got the ball rolling and, after Dave Hibbert had equalised for the hosts, young midfielder Anthony Edgar hit what turned out to be the elusive goal after a good night's work.

As expected, Thomas Hitzlsperger made his first appearance in an Irons shirt and it was the former Aston Villa man who played a major part in the opener.

The German looked destined to let fly with one of his infamous piledrivers. However, he slid an expertly-timed ball through to forward Cole, who dinked it over the advancing Joe Lewis on 13 minutes.

However, after a positive start, the football dried up slightly for the Hammers and Posh equalised 4 minutes after the break. Hibbert lost his marker easily in the box and was on target to smash home from close range after George Boyd’s free kick.

The joy was short lived for the hosts, though, when Edgar grabbed the winner on 65 minutes. The 19-year-old picked the ball up 30 yards out, and, after a mazy run, the youngster hit a stupendous strike into the bottom corner from long range.

Another plus point for Grant was the appearances of Herita Ilunga, James Tomkins, Kieron Dyer and Benni McCarthy, who all returned from long-term injuries.

However, it was the cameo appearance of boxing legend Mike Tyson during the interval which overshadowed proceedings as Tyson provided the half time entertainment for the London Road crowd, entering the pitch wearing a Peterborough shirt.