Alan Curbishley should not be offended if few members of his squad take him up on the offer of a festive handshake this week. It seems that every player he has touched during his 12 months as manager at West Ham United has fallen victim to injury, but if his treatment room still resembles a battle scene from Apocalypse Now, the manager’s luck may finally be turning.

Nobody, in the immediate future, will mistake Curbishley for King Midas, but West Ham’s 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough featured goals for Dean Ashton and Scott Parker, whose dominant statistics at Upton Park have been in medical reports. In terms of away form, sickness has dissipated; 16 points have quietly been hoarded this season.

Saturday began in familiar fashion – George McCartney and Matthew Upson underwent fitness tests – but hardship brought inspiration. “It’s been the story of our season,” Curbishley said. “People who thought their chances might be limited have played regularly, others have been chasing fitness in the team. We had a rallying call before the game, because we knew we had to go out and get on with it.”

If the effect was far from spellbinding, complaints were absent from West Ham supporters, who launched into a rendition of Jingle Bells when Parker began a 90th-minute move on the right, collected a return pass from John Paintsil and scored with a right-foot shot. It was Parker’s first goal for the club and his side’s first league win on Teesside since 1990.

It was a boost for Parker’s career, which stalled at Chelsea, tailed off at Newcastle United and is yet to recommence with any significance because of a lingering medial ligament problem. “When you’ve been out for so long, it doesn’t get much better than a last-minute winner,” Parker said.

“It’s good to be back; this moment has been a long time coming. I’m back where I started in my career, playing in a side managed by Curbs. He nurtured me as a young lad and brought me through at Charlton.”

Curbishley’s list of absentees still stretches into double figures, but confidence should not be lacking for their match against Reading on Boxing Day. They demonstrated endurance when Middlesbrough took the lead through David Wheater, restoring parity on the brink of half-time when Ashton shot brilliantly from long range.

Gareth Southgate’s side could not replicate the pummelling of Arsenal a fortnight ago and the concern for the manager must be that a small squad cannot easily be invigorated. Attacking reinforcements are needed, but Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe are unattainable. Rob Hulse, the Sheffield United striker, is a short-term target.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): M Schwarzer 7 – L Young 6, J Woodgate 6 (sub: R Huth, 63min 5), D Wheater 6, E Pogatetz 6 – A Johnson 6 (sub: L Cattermole, 77), G Boateng 6, J Arca 7, S Downing 6 – Tuncay Sanli 6, J Aliadière 4. Substitutes not used: R Turnbull, M Shawky, Lee Dong Gook.Booked:Boateng, Arca.Next:Birmingham City (a).

West Ham United (4-4-2): R Green 6 – L Neill 6, J Spector 7, M Upson 7, G McCartney 6 – N Solano 7 (sub: M Noble, 76), H Mullins 5, S Parker 7, F Ljungberg 5 – D Ashton 6, H Camara 5 (sub: J Paintsil, 85). Substitutes not used: R Wright, C Dailly, H Ephraim. Booked: Parker, Solano. Next: Reading (h).

Referee M Atkinson
Attendance 26,007