Michail Antonio believes his first West Ham United goal is just around the corner as Slaven Bilic’s men prepare for a Boxing Day trip to Villa Park.
The former Nottingham Forest winger looks set for a third successive Barclays Premier League start on Saturday and hopes it won’t be long before he and the Hammers get back on the goal trail.
Though Remi Garde’s Villa will be propping up the table on Christmas Day, the 25-year-old is still expecting a stern examination and insists it would be foolish to think otherwise.
The former Nottingham Forest winger looks set for a third successive Barclays Premier League start on Saturday and hopes it won’t be long before he and the Hammers get back on the goal trail.
Though Remi Garde’s Villa will be propping up the table on Christmas Day, the 25-year-old is still expecting a stern examination and insists it would be foolish to think otherwise.
“We approach the game on Boxing Day the same way we do every game, we set out to get the three points,” he told West Ham TV.
“You can see that Villa are struggling, though they played quite well last time out against Newcastle.
"They were quite attacking, fearless, but this time we’ve got to go out and try to get the three points, because we’ve drawn three games in a row now.
“As long as we get the three points on Saturday, we can start kicking on with our season.
“It doesn’t matter that they’re bottom of the league, it’s the Premier League and they’re in the Premier League.
“They’ve definitely got something about them so we’re not going to there and underestimate anyone.
We’re going to go there and be prepared for whatever comes at us. We’re preparing right, we’ve got our mind right and we’re going to go there to get three points.”
And safe in the knowledge that the Hammers are defensively sound, Antonio now wants the Hammers to turn their attention to the attacking third, starting at Villa Park.
He continued: “The last three games were 0-0 and now we’ve got to stick one in the back of the net! We’ve shown that we can keep clean sheets, so if we do score, we’ll probably get the three points. We’ve got to push on and make sure that we do that.
“I’ve always believed in my ability and in the last couple of games I think I’ve done alright. I’ve not really done much going forward just yet, but give me time and I’ll show you what I can do.
“I’m not really the sort of person to go through quite a few games without getting a goal, so I should be due one soon!”
Speaking at Wednesday’s Romford Store signing, the summer recruit felt the Hammers had plenty to be proud of in scrapping to a goalless draw at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, even if it came at a personal cost!
“I got a few blows to the face, I’ve got a massive hole in my tongue, but it’s just one of those things, part and parcel of the game,” he explained. “It’s one of the things that I enjoy, I love the hustle and bustle of the Premier League, I like the challenge and we’ve got to keep pushing forward.
“It was a great point in the end. We were up against a Swansea side that had just lost their manager and it felt like they had nothing to lose. They played some great football, one touch, two touch, had a couple of opportunities and a few half chances, as did we. I think a draw, in the end, was the right result.
“We’ve got to think about Aston Villa now and try to get the right result.”