WEST HAM have one foot in the Carling Cup final thanks to a stunning Carlton Cole strike.

The striker arrowed a shot from 25 yards in to the top corner after collecting a Wayne Bridge throw-in on 32 minutes to cap a dominant first-half display from the Hammers.

The visitors have been well on top in the first 45 minutes, and now lead the tie 3-1 on aggregate, following the 2-1 victory in the first leg at Upton Park.

Zavon Hines on several occasions went close to scoring, seeing two strikes well saved by Ben Foster before ten minutes were on the clock.

Cole fired over after being put in by a lofted pass from Bridge, and the pressure continued with a series of threatening attacks.

The deadlock was eventually broken by Cole’s wonder-strike, although he was inexplicably allowed to turn after two Birmingham markers failed to deal with the danger from an innocuous position.

Matt Derbyshire did force Robert Green into a smart stop just a minute later, but the visitors could even have extended their advantage when Hines acrobatically turned Mark Noble’s free-kick goalwards, only to see the ball kiss the far post.