THIS most friendly of friendlies began with West Ham United fretting over a misfiring preseason and ended with the comfortable result manager Alan Curbishley ordered, maiden goals from two of the expensive new signings he paraded and, possibly best of all, no further injuries to speak of.

A mere friendly it may have been, but Curbishley elected to field his big guns and announced before the game that in the wake of a “disappointing” performance at MK Dons on Wednesday, contrary to usual practice, a result rather than a performance was the mission.

That 3-2 defeat to Paul Ince’s team was the nadir of a preseason campaign which saw a solitary victory at Dagenham set against a draw at Leyton Orient and two defeats in Austria. A long-term Achilles injury precluded Julien Faubert’s appearance, Scott Parker’s knee was too inflamed to risk his appearance and Dean Ashton’s gently-paced rehabilitation was thought to be best continued away from the perils of League One opposition. Even so, Craig Bellamy started upfront and Freddie Ljungberg, the former Arsenal player, took his place in midfield.

If West Ham were shopping at the Iceland-sponsored branch of Harrods, newly relegated Southend – spiritual home of the East End disapora and thus always keen to beat West Ham – spent the summer buying trinkets at the beach. They unveiled Nicky Bailey, a £175,000 acquisition from Bar-net, and erstwhile Arsenal youngster Tommy Black, who arrived from Crystal Palace. Charlie MacDonald, who has been drifting around the nonLeague circuit, and Zoltan Liptak, plucked from the Hungarian division, were marooned on the bench.

With their whiter-than-white kit sending out none-too-subtle messages to Bramall Lane and a new captain in the combative shape of Lucas Neill, this season promises to be new leaf time at Upton Park. But for all the window dressing, some old habits die hard and 15 minutes in, Anton Ferdinand’s lackadaisical challenge allowed Gary Hooper to run through on goal against Robert Green only to hoof the ball out of the ground.

Even so, with Ljungberg gambolling down the right and Etherington dancing along the left, West Ham were breezily adventurous. The lemon-booted Bellamy’s impishness complemented Bobby Zamora’s more rudimentary approach and when the Welshman tore down the right and crossed in the 24th minute, Zamora powered a header against the bar. Indeed, in a game without a physical challenge of note, West Ham were in imperious control and Southend were chasing those white shadows. Ljungberg and Bellamy combined to offer Lee Bowyer a chance he skied, shortly before he and Kevin Maher were fortunate to emerge unscathed and unpunished from a bout of fisticuffs.

Soon, though, nature took its course when Ljungberg lofted an exquisite 40-yarder forwards and Zamora neatly headed over the onrushing Flahavan. There was still time for a second before the break, Bellamy tucking home after Bowyer had headed Matthew Etherington’s free-kick against the bar.

Just to show how seriously he was taking the game, Curbishley neglected to introduce any half-time substitutes and soon his team were three to the good when Steven Hammell’s feeble back pass found only Zamora, who squared for Ljungberg to sidefoot home. With the result Curbishley had demanded secure, West Ham relaxed and Southend scored a consolation, Maher’s shot from 20 yards beating Green thanks to the faintest of deflections off Peter Clarke.

Star man: Craig Bellamy(West Ham)

Southend:Flahavan (Collis 72); Gower (Lokando 87), Barrett, Clarke (Liptak 82), Hunt, Black (Foran 61), Maher (Moussa 72), Bailey (McCormack 61), Hammell (Wilson 65), Harrold (Paynter 65), Hooper (McDonald ht)

West Ham:Green; Neill, McCartney, Gabbidon, Ferdinand, Ljungberg (Reid 72), Noble, Bowyer (Mullins 65), Etherington (Pantsil 78), Bellamy, Zamora (Cole 59)

Scorers: Southend:Clarke 58 West Ham:Zamora 30, Bellamy 39, Ljungberg 51

Referee:G Hegley

Attendance:9,522