THERE WERE 82 minutes on the clock when the player who epitomised West Ham s injury crisis last season, stepped enthusiastically on to the Ewood Park turf. Kieron Dyer made just three appearances in claret and blue during the last campaign, before breakin

THERE WERE 82 minutes on the clock when the player who epitomised West Ham's injury crisis last season, stepped enthusiastically on to the Ewood Park turf.

Kieron Dyer made just three appearances in claret and blue during the last campaign, before breaking his leg in two places against Bristol Rovers in the Carling Cup in August 2007.

His return back in January saw him make two very promising substitute appearances, before yet another frustrating injury in training led to another operation and a two-month lay-off.

The 30-year-old midfield man, who has 33 full England caps to his name, will be praying that his latest return will be the signal for a long, uninterrupted run in the team, and once again, in the short time he was on the field, the former Newcastle United man certainly impressed.

"It's brilliant to have Kieron Dyer back," emphasised manager Gianfranco Zola. "I'm very pleased for him. He's a special player and can make a big difference for us."

Goalkeeper Robert Green praised Dyer and hoped that mentally he had come through his latest spell on the sidelines, without it affecting him adversely on the field.

"When you get asked about Kieron, or about Dean Ashton or Danny Gabbidon, you just hope for their own welfare and for their own physical and mental health that they can get through these difficult times," he said.

"For Kieron, he had an horrific injury and it has taken a long time for him to come back and that is understandable, but today he looked sharp.

"If he can come back, you are not asking him to be charging around for 90 minutes, but if he can do his part from now until the end of the season, it is another great acquisition."

It certainly is. You could see his worth the moment he came on at Blackburn, as he added much-needed pace to the equation, and when he stormed into the area before Chris Samba sent him sprawling, he could easily have won the penalty that took all three points.

Zola was delighted, and is looking for another contribution from Dyer in the next match.

"Today, he had 10 minutes, but now he has two weeks to prepare himself properly for the next game against Sunderland, when he'll play a bit more. He's very important for this club," said Zola.

Six appearances since his arrival in the summer of 2007 suggest otherwise, but if he could just get his fitness right, then the �6million man will finally start to pay back some of that transfer fee.