West Ham defender Jose Fonte has praised both the West Ham fans and his team mates for helping him through an “emotional” match against his former club Southampton.
The 33 year old spent seven years at the St Mary’s stadium and despite only joining the Hammers from the Saints last month, he was picked to play against his former side in only his second start for his new team. Speaking after the 3-1 win, the centre back said he had managed to focus, and block out the difficult emotions that came about after returning to his former stomping ground so soon after his departure.
He was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying:
“It was emotional, difficult, but in the end I can say a big thank you to everyone – to the West Ham supporters and my team-mates for helping me get through it. I managed to block everything out and stay focused on the game. The most important thing was achieved, which is the three points and a great performance.”
Despite having a tough time on his debut against Manchester City a few days earlier where he conceded a penalty in a heavy 4-0 defeat, Fonte managed to up his game against Southampton. Despite falling behind early to a Manolo Gabbiadini goal, Slaven Bilic’s team rallied to go in at half time 2-1 up before Mark Noble wrapped up the win with a deflected free kick.
