Slaven Bilic has said his side’s victory over Cheltenham Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup will give the Hammers confidence going into the weekend’s clash with Newcastle.
Both Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew were on target in the 2-0 victory – the club’s first of the new season – which sees them navigate through successfully to the third round of the competition.
The victory was the second time in five seasons West Ham have beaten Cheltenham in the league cup, with their previous clash being in 2013. The Hammers also emerged victors on that day thanks to goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison.
With Newcastle on the horizon, Bilic believes the victory was just what his side needed.
“It wasn’t easy but we didn’t expect it to be easy. It doesn’t matter which team you are playing, it affects your confidence and the atmosphere on the training ground and in the dressing room if you lose, so it’s always nice to win.” said Bilic following the victory.
“Nothing can give you confidence like a win. We won 2-0 and had a good game by a team and a lot of individuals, we kept a clean sheet and are through to the next round.
“Like every defeat harms your confidence a little bit, this one will help us in our preparation for our game against Newcastle.
The Hammers will find out in the early hours of tomorrow who they are to face in the third round of the competition with the draw set for 4:15am BST.
