Manager on Monday

Sam Allardyce wants West Ham United's record-breaking weekend to be kept in perspective as another vital game in the hunt for promotion arrives on Easter Monday.

The Hammers were comprehensive winners at Barnsley on Good Friday - their club record 12th away league win of the season - to ensure Birmingham City's visit to the Boleyn Ground still has plenty riding on it as third hosts fourth in the npower Championship.

Both teams still have all to play for, with the Hammers' gap to table-toppers Southampton down to only four points after the Saints could only draw 2-2 with Portsmouth on Saturday.

"I'm really pleased for the lads and for breaking the club record and we're the team that's won more away games than anyone else," Allardyce said. "But we must now play against Birmingham like we played at Barnsley and Peterborough.

"We must have the confidence to play like that at home and take the game to the opposition and break them down and use our abilities to beat them.

"As hard as it'll be we've got to be brave enough to beat them and hopefully the lads will do that on Monday night to keep us on the winning trail. It's one game at a time - one down, five to go - so let's try to get three points."

Big Sam is under no illusions about how hard securing those much needed three points will be, though, with Monday's visitors coming into the game on the back of an impressive three consecutive 3-1 wins.

"I watched Birmingham at Burnley in midweek and they generally use two banks of four and play well off the two front men. Big [Nikola] Zigic is a handful and Marlon King is the goalscorer so we'll have to try and stop the service to them nullify their attacking threat.

"We'll have to be patient and pass the ball as well as we did against Barnsley to try and break them down."

Birmingham tickets

If the West Ham fans can anywhere near replicate the sensational backing the 2,500 travelling Hammers gave the team at Oakwell then the home side's task will be made considerably easier. Their support was rewarded as the Hammers gave a clinical display of finishing that should breed fresh confidence into their attacking play ahead of two consecutive home games with the Blues and then Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

"The Barnsley game was a perfect performance from start to finish. Three great goals in front of our brilliant travelling fans, which to sent them home happy.

"Ricardo Vaz Te scored again - that's five in six for him now - and Nicky Maynard popped up with one so that's him feeling a lot more confident and Carlton got one last week. The front lads are looking a lot more clinical and that's critical if we want to try and win the last five games.

"We've got two home games on the trot now and so we'll be looking for the lads pull it out of the bag and reproduce that kind of performance and kick on from there."

The manager has spoken about his belief in the strength in depth of West Ham United squad and it is likely he will look to shake up his starting XI with fresh legs after the likes of Carlton Cole, Papa Bouba Diop and Sam Baldock were all on the bench against Barnsley. Guy Demel and Winston Reid were hugely impressive on their comebacks from injury and could step in again should Julien Faubert and Joey O'Brien fail to recover from injury in time.

"It was nice to see Guy Demel back at long last. He's been unfortunate with injury. We had to throw him on Saturday as Joey O'Brien got injured midweek in training.

"We got Papa on for 15 minutes and Henri Lansbury got a run out. We also gave some of the boys that have been playing all season a bit of a rest. We were also able to get Guy off in case we need him against Birmingham."

Tickets for Monday's Kids for a Quid game are available on the door. For more information, click here.