As a player who started out in non-league football and did not make his Premier League debut until the age of 25, Michail Antonio knows that positivity and perseverance can pay off.
With that in mind, the winger says West Ham United simply cannot allow their winless start to the 2018/19 season to cast a shadow over the whole season.
The Hammers return to action after the September international break on Sunday, when they take on unbeaten Everton at Goodison Park – a ground Antonio himself scored at when West Ham came from two goals down to win in March 2016.
It’s a long, hard season and you can’t be down after just four games
Michail Antonio
“It’s a long, hard season and you can’t be down after just four games, because there are still 34 games to go,” said the No30. “You’ve got to believe in the team because we believe in ourselves.
“We’ve definitely got the squad and definitely got the manager but it’s just about getting it all working together and getting used to each other and it’ll all come good.”
West Ham may be without a point and bottom of the table after four matches, Antonio’s unlikely career path mean he is not about to allow a few defeats to get him down.
Instead, he firmly believes Manuel Pellegrini’s squad can go to Everton and score their first victory of the campaign.
“We’re confident going into every game,” he insisted. “We believe in our squad and believe in what we’re doing. We just need to get those first three points on the board.
“We need the fans to stay behind us and our away fans always do that. They are always there and always singing for us and I am sure we can reward them on Sunday.
“We will go to Everton and play our game and play the best we can. We know anyone in the Premier League can beat anyone and it’s unpredictable and we definitely believe we can go to Goodison Park and get the three points there that will really kick start our season.”