- Winston Reid proud of West Ham United's efforts over the past six weeks
- Five wins and a draw in the last eight matches have lifted the Hammers up to tenth
- Centre-back is looking forward to welcoming new boy Jose Fonte to the Club
Winston Reid said team spirit and a willingness to work for each other were key factors in Saturday’s 3-1 Premier League victory at Middlesbrough.
The No2, who has been in eye-catching form during the Hammers’ recent run of five wins in seven top-flight matches, again shone brightly on a dull day weather-wise at the Riverside Stadium.
The New Zealander put his body in the right place at the right time repeatedly as Slaven Bilic’s side deservedly climbed into the top half of the table after collecting three points on Teesside.
“You know when you go away from home in the Premier League, you are going to come under pressure at some stage of the game and we did, but I thought we defended well,” he told journalists.
“We got a little bit lucky in the second half with the one which ricocheted off the bar [via Aaron Cresswell and Cristhian Stuani] but we had so many chances throughout the game that I thought we deserved to win.
“It was important for us to beat teams around us like Palace and now Boro and it’s a boost to be in the top ten. We started the season poorly and weren’t playing the best, so we had to work harder for each other and the results have come – it’s not rocket science.”
Pre-match predictions and statistics suggested a tight game between a stingy Boro defence at home and a shot-shy West Ham attack on the road, but instead the match was an end-to-end affair with chances aplenty.
Was Reid surprised it was such an open game?
“No I wasn’t surprised,” he said. “I thought we could get a win from the game, so we tried to attack from the beginning and tried to get at them and they were at home, so they wanted to win as well.
“They probably thought they could get a win as well so that’s why it was end-to-end. It was a good game to be part of. The most important thing was that we got the victory.”
We started the season poorly and weren’t playing the best, so we had to work harder for each other and the results have come – it’s not rocket science
Winston Reid
The main reasons for that victory were the two goals scored by Reid’s teammate and close friend Andy Carroll, who took his tally to the five since his return from injury last month.
“I’m happy for him,” the No2 revealed. “Obviously he was out for a while with an injury but when he’s fit and healthy, he scores goals and causes problems for the opponent, but he’s also important for us in relieving pressure, especially from set pieces.
“You know that when’s in the area, if the ball comes in to his area, he’s going to attack it all-in and it helps it get the ball out.”
Reid could have a new central defensive partner when West Ham host Manchester City at London Stadium on Wednesday 1 February – Portugal star Jose Fonte.
The former Southampton captain linked up with the Hammers on Friday and could make his debut in Claret and Blue alongside the Kiwi after Angelo Ogbonna was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
“We’ve had a bit of injuries so to get a good new signing in with Fonte will add to the group,” Reid observed. “I’m sure the Club will still want to do more business, but in these last two games we’ve played better than we’d played previously.
“Bar when we played Manchester City at home, the last month and a half our performances have gone up a lot, which is what I expect from these players and so does the manager as well.”