MICHAIL ANTONIO insists West Ham co-chairman David Gold doesn't need any more reminding about who he is.
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| Michail Antonio and Carlos Sanchez tussle for the ball in West Ham's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa |
Gold was left red-faced in November when he thought he was helping a Hammers fan by retweeting an appeal for a "missing person", only to find it was a picture of the winger who'd cost him £7m.
Until then the 25-year-old had barely kicked a ball for the Hammers after failing to break into Slaven Bilic's plans. But the club's injury crisis has changed all that, and Antonio will make his fourth start in a row in Monday's home clash with Southampton as the Hammers try to build on a five-match unbeaten run.
The powerfully built former Nottingham Forest star is taking to Premier League football and played a superb pass that set up Aaron Cresswell's goal at Aston Villa.
"I had a long wait to get into the team but as the games are coming now I feel myself getting better and getting sharper," he said.
"I never bothered about the tweet from the chairman because I take it all as banter. I always have a bit of fun with the fans, and it was put up as a bit of banter, and I took it in exactly that way.
"One thing I do have is faith in my ability. I do feel a bit rusty still at the moment, but as I get sharper I feel I will get to that point where I can play like I did for Forest, and when I get there then I can terrorise Premier League defenders like I did to those in the Championship.
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| The injury crisis at West Ham has given Antonio a chance after his move from Nottingham Forest |
"I'm doing okay, but I want to do more for the team as an attacker, get more goals and more assists. Maybe the Southampton game is a good time to do it - we are at home so hopefully we can push on and get three points."
Antonio spent a season at Saints on loan from Reading when they were still in League One and helped them win the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. And he believes West Ham should be inspired by what Saints did last year when they qualified for Europe.
"They showed last year what is possible," he added. "We're in a good stage where we are defending well so now we need to push on and score some goals too so that we can turn draws into wins."
That's exactly what Villa need. Jordan Ayew's second-half penalty, awarded when Angelo Ogbonna fouled Rudy Gestede, meant boss Remi Garde has finally put two games unbeaten together.
But unless they can follow that with a win in today's trip to fellow relegation candidates Norwich they will go on sliding further adrift at the foot of the table.
And Garde admits that would make it tougher to attract the new signings he needs in January if they are to defy the odds and keep their unbroken membership of the Premier League.
He said: "You can guess I am working hard to line up new signings - a victory against West Ham would have helped me to be more attractive. So we have the next two games to prove we are still alive, and show that the project is still possible.
"The players have answered very well to what I have asked. It is not easy to change some things in the middle of a season. But the way we played in this game and the fitness we showed is very interesting."
ASTON VILLA (4-1-4-1): Guzan 6; Hutton 6, Okore 6, Lescott 6, Bacuna 6; Sanchez 6 (Gil 38, 7); Westwood 6, Veretout 7 (Adama 83), Gana 7, Ayew 7; Gestede 6. Booked: Bacuna, Hutton, Lescott. Goal: Ayew 62 pen.NEXT UP: Norwich (a) PL, today.
WEST HAM (4-1-4-1): Adrian 7; Tomkins 7 (Jenkinson 46, 6), Collins 8, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7 (Song 75); Obiang 6; Antonio 7, Noble 6, Kouyate 7, Valencia 6; Zarate 5 (Oxford 85). Booked: Ogbonna, Collins, Kouyate.
NEXT UP: Southampton (h) PL, today.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral).
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