by Greg Seltzer for Soccer365

West Ham United defender Jonathan Spector reports that he thoroughly enjoyed his Premiership return against Stoke last week, which marked his first action since being sidelined with a hip injury last April.

The young American made a brief cameo to tidy up a 2-1 home victory over the Potters, and did so without any complications to end a long frustrating recovery. In addition to missing Hammers time, Spector was unable to marshal the United States backline at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The 23-year old did not leave the bench for Saturday's FA Cup victory, which fell on his birthday, but he is hoping to contribute as they attempt to climb from 10th place during the second half of the campaign and chase domestic silver.

"It felt great to return to playing in the Premier League after being sidelined for so long," Spector told Soccer365. "Although it was only a short appearance, it was nice to be part of the team's home victory."

"I have not had any adverse side effects, and my hip feels as good as can be expected at this stage."

The Illinois native is returning to a club on the rise; after a poor start that continued after Gianfranco Zola was installed as manager four games in (sans "A" coaching license, no less), the Hammers have notched three wins and two draws fro their last seven.

Spector claims the new gaffer's biggest impact has been with the offense. With the former Chelsea dazzler unsurprisingly encouraging flair in attack, the Irons have finally responded by striking hot six times in the last two outings.

"I think the team has been playing well for some time, we have just had some difficulty scoring, which now looks to be changing," said the U.S. international.

"The manager wants the players to play a style similar to which he played. He wants the players to play a passing game with some creativity in the final third. Mostly, he wants his players to enjoy the game."

Spector and West Ham get back to work Saturday at Newcastle.

Soccer365 reporter Greg Seltzer blogs daily over at No Short Corners.

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